Portia's Followers
At Belmont, in a room in Portia's house, there are three caskets — one of gold, one of silver, and one of lead. People who came to apply must choose one, and if he chooses the correct one, his reward will be the "fair Portia."
The words engraved on the top of each casket ponder each of the cryptic inscriptions.
On the leaden casket, written；
"Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath"
on the silver casket, written ；
"Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves"
and on the golden casket, written；
"Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire."
That the correct casket contains her picture.
About Bassanio
Portia would like Bassanio to delay before he chooses one of the caskets. Already she has fallen in love with him, and she fears the outcome. Therefore, she would like music to be played "while he doth make his choice." It reminded by the background music that "fancy" is sometimes bred in the heart and is sometimes bred in the head. The words seem to warn him not to judge by external appearance. Instead, he chooses the casket made of "meagre lead," which is the least attractive of the caskets — if they are judged by appearance alone.