Bassanio makes a speech to himself (anaside) as he thinks about the three caskets and their inscriptions. Bassanio quickly notes that a person should not be quick to judgebyappearances. Religious hypocrites hide their false ways and false words with “a gracious voice” and with the sacred words of a religious text (lines 77-80). And cowards hide their lack of braverybywearing “the beards of Hercules and frowning Mars” (line 85: Mars is the Roman god of war). And seemingly beautiful women hide their physical flaws through the use of cosmetics or make-up orbyusing wigs (lines 88-94). So, for these reasons, Bassanio rejects the gold casket and the silver one, adding the comment that silver is actually just a common “drudge” (worker or laborer) because numerous coins are made with silver. Thus, the beauty of it hides itsbaseness.
So, Bassanio chooses the leaden casket, and Portia is overjoyed by the choice.
Bassanio finds a beautiful portrait of Portia inside, and he marvels at the artistry of the likeness. But then he comments that despite the beauty of the painting, the real Portia is far more beautiful: “this shadow doth limp behind the substance” (129-30). The wordshadowrefers to the portrait, and the wordsubstancerefers to Portia herself. At this point in the play Bassanio would then look up from the portrait and stare atPortia.