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Well then, ‘confess and live.’ 29

30
—Bassanio ‘Confess’ and ‘love’
31 32
Is but° the very sum of my confession. {Had been}
O happy torment when my torturer
33 34
Doth teach° me answers where I am° set free— / give // wherein I’m
35
Now to my choice° and my fortune to be. {the caskets}

29. confess and live: an inversion of the proverb, ‘Confess and be hanged (die).’
30. . Q1 reads: {Confesse and loue | had beene the very sum of my confession:}
This playful response to Portia’s previous line may be punctuated as: a) Confess and love (Q1), b)
‘Confess’ and ‘love’, or c) ‘Confess and love’. The passage is sufficiently vague such that neither form of
punctuation is decisive. Putting the entire phrase in quotes links this line to the previous line of ‘confess and live,’
whereas quoting each word separately (‘confess’ and ‘live’) suggests that each word carries an individual meaning
and capacity. It seems that Bassanio is being vague by design, and his words are not meant to be fully understood;
he is, perhaps, making a veiled confession which is not meant to be recognized. [See Note 32]
[See Additional Notes, 3.2.38]
31. / Are yet the only words that I need speak: / Is the sum totaling of my confession
32. To ‘fill-out’ or modify the previous line, an additional line could be added:
+For all I have to confess is my love, / +For all I have are confessions of love,
33. {O happy torment, when my torturer | Doth teach me answers for deliverance:} / Doth teach me answers that
lead to my freedom / lead me to freedom
for deliverance: a) that enables me to get free (of the torture of not having you) by choosing the right casket; b)
that enables me to get free of the rack, of this torturous delay.
Bassanio’s reply to Portia’s ‘Confess and live’ might have also been ‘confess and give’ which would
clearly suggest the lead casket. However, in both cases, Bassanio does not know the inscriptions found on the
caskets, and therefore would not appreciate any clue found in the word confess or give. [See Additional Notes,
3.2.38] [See Essays: The Lottery]
34. The exact meaning of this passage is confusing. Clearly, at some point, Bassanio comes to feel that he has the
key or the answer to his deliverance (to winning Portia) but it remains uncertain how (or from whom) he received
this sense. We might first look to something Portia said which offered Bassanio some kind hint, but we see nothing
in her words—nor anything to give Bassanio this sense of certainty (to having obtained the key). One might fish and
hold that Portia’s admonition to ‘confess’ might be linked to ‘giving’ and direct Bassanio toward the lead casket
(which prompts the suitor to hazard all). Yet any such clue relating to the inscription found on the lead casket would
be lost on Bassanio since he has not yet seen the inscriptions. Another place to look for ‘the key’ would be to
Nerissa (with her being the ‘torturer’ not Portia). As previously stated, our theory is that the ‘key’ or ‘answer’ to
winning the lottery lies with Nerissa: if Bassanio can win Portia’s love, then Nerissa will give him a hint as to which
casket to choose. (Thus, in this context, Bassanio’s ‘confess and love’ may mean that if Portia loves him Nerissa will
confess the casket to choose; of if Portia confesses her love to him, then Nerissa will help him to win his love. Thus,
Portia’s confession of her love is the ‘key’ which delivers Bassanio from ‘torture.’)
In terms of a production, Bassanio could get a knowing nod from Nerissa towards the end of Portia’s
opening speech indicating that he had fulfilled the terms (that Portia loves him) and that he will get help from
Nerissa. (Bassanio may have been told at a previous time that a) he would get some indication from Nerissa that he
had fulfilled his end of the agreement, and b) that he should listen very carefully to the song for ‘a hint.’ If Bassanio
did not fulfill the terms, and proceeded to make a choice without an ‘OK’ from Nerissa, then she would not have the
musicians play a song.) Thus Bassanio’s statement, ‘O happy torment, when my torturer | Doth teach me answers for
my deliverance’ may apply to Nerissa, who has now given him the ‘go ahead’ and will ‘teach him the
answer’—through the words of the song—that will release him of this torturous wait and enable him to win Portia.
Portia’s opening speech is, in no uncertain terms, an admission of her love. As part of the staging, after
every few lines, Bassanio could look over toward Nerissa, asking with his eyes, ‘Is this enough? or ‘Does this not
indicate that she loves me?’ erstwhile hoping to get the nod of approval. Bassanio may want the nod forthwith, while
Nerissa wants to be a little more certain, and thus makes Bassanio wait a little longer. Thus, after getting the nod,
Bassanio moves to make his choice as quickly as possible, feeling the tortured by every second more he must wait.
35. {But let me to my fortune and the caskets}
my fortune: a) my fate, what befalls me (which will be determined by my choice), b) my treasure
The original does not end with a rhyming couplet.
a) / Doth teach me answers where I am set free | Now to the caskets where my fortune be
/ Now to the caskets and my destiny / Now let me to my fortune that awaits me
/ Now to my choice and my fortune to be
b) / Is but the sum of all I have to say | Now to my fortune and the chests, I pray.
/ Now to the caskets and my fortune, away!
c) / ‘Tis but the sum of all I do confess | Now to the caskets and my happiness