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jEnter a Servingman; Nerissa meets with him. Servingman exits. k
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—Nerissa
You need not fear, lady, in having any of these lords. They have all come to the same decision, 55
which is indeed to return to their home and to trouble you with no more suit, unless you may
be won by some means° other than your father’s condition,° of having to choose the right
56
casket. means: {sort} / method
condition: {imposition} / imposed contest
—Portia
If I live to be as old as the Prophetess of Cumae, +whose years were as many as grains of sand she
57
could hold in her hand, I will die as chaste as Diana unless I be obtained by the manner of my
58
father’s will. I am glad this parcel of wooers are so reasonable, +in deciding to depart, for there
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is not one among them, whose very absence I do not dote upon— and I pray God grant them a
60
fair departure.
—Nerissa
Do you not remember, lady, in your father’s time, a Venetian, a scholar and a soldier, that came
hither in the company of Marquis of Montferrat? 61

53. full: {deep} white:{Rhenish} > a fine, white German wine, superior to the common table wine, which is red
contrary: / wrong drunkard: {sponge} / sop / one who soaks up liquor like a sponge
54. In the original, no Servant enters in to bring news (from the suitors) and Nerissa’s next line reads: You need not
fear, lady, the having of any of these lords. They have acquainted me with their determinations, which is indeed to
return to their home . . .’ This indicates that the lords had informed Nerissa about their intention to leave before the
scene opened—which is suspect. Nerissa knew of Portia’s distaste for this parcel of suitors and so she would have
told Portia about the good news as soon as it arrived. If Nerissa did know of the lords’s departure beforehand then
the scene could only be played out in a teasing fashion, with Nerissa prolonging Portia’s misery by having her
believe that all the suitors are still vying for her. Thus, to remedy this situation, a Servant enters with the news. [See
Additional Notes, 1.2.96]
55. {they have acquainted me with their determinations}
With the entrance of a Servant to break the news to Nerissa, the pronoun ‘me’ would be removed, as the
suitors have not stated their determination directly to Nerissa.
acquainted me: / apprised me of / told me of
their determinations / what they have determined / what they’ve decided to do / their decision / their determined
course of action
56. {than your father’s imposition, depending on the caskets}
/ than your father’s contest of having to chose the right casket.
imposition: condition, demand, imposed methodology
depending on the caskets: contingent upon the contest he devised (whereby a suitor must choose the right
casket to win Portia).
57. {If I live to be as old as Sibylla} / If I live to be as old as +the prophetess, Sibylla
Sibylla was the prophetess of Cumae, and Apollo’s lover. Apollo granted her as many years of life as the
grains of sand she could hold in her hand. From Ovid’s Metamorphoses 14.129-53
58. {are so reasonable}
reasonable: a) amicable, in that they are doing what Portia wants and leaving, b) swayed by reason; a true lover
would not be reasonable and would take any risk to win his beloved
59. {there is not one among them but I dote on his very absence}
dote upon: {dote on} / take delight in / cherish / long for
60. Q1 = {and I pray God grant them a fair departure.} F1 ={and I wish them a fair departure.}
61. Here Nerissa ‘tests the waters’ to see if Portia favors Bassanio, as Nerissa assumes she does. Portia confirms her
high opinion of Bassanio. (This confirmation lets Nerissa know that her plan to have Bassanio come to Belmont,
and win Portia, in on target.)
Why does Nerissa even mention Bassanio—who is said to be a soldier and a scholar (which he is not)—
when there is no hint that he would be a likely suitor? [See Essays: The Lottery]