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—Portia
Yes, yes, it was Bassanio—as I think so was he called. 62

—Nerissa
True, madam. He, of all the men that ever my foolish eyes looked upon, was the most° deserving
of a fair° lady. most: {best} fair: beautiful

—Portia
I remember him well, and I remember him worthy of thy praise.

Enter a Servant

— 63

—Servant
64
The four foreigners seek for you, madam, to take their leave—and there is a messenger° come
from° a fifth, the Prince of Morocco, who brings word the Prince, his master, will be here
tonight. messenger: {forerunner} / herald from: / to announce

—Portia
65
If I could bid the fifth welcome with so good° a heart as I can bid the other four farewell, I
should be glad of his approach. And if he had the temperament of a saint and the complexion of
66
a devil, I had rather he should hear of my strife than take me as a wife. 67

62. {Yes, yes, it was Bassanio—as I think so was he called} Portia clearly recalls his name, with enthusiasm—but
quickly tempers her feelings with a seeming uncertainty. The original, ‘as I think so was he called’ is a bit jumbled
and confused, suggesting that she is not thinking straight and/or talking very quickly in order to mask her excitement.
63. The following line by Portion, which appears in Q1 {How now! What news?} has been deleted: Most
commentators hold that this line is superfluous and out of place: Portia is not likely to greet her servant in such a
way. This line is omitted in F1—either in error or, more likely, with the intention of ‘enhancing’ the text. If the
Servant is made to enter before [line 96] then this short greeting might come as a result of Portia’s surprise—and
perhaps in slight apprehension that there is some additional news which is contrary to the good news previously
delivered (which is that all the suitors intend to leave). Hence, if this innocuous line is preserved (and if, the Servant
had come once before) then Portia’s line would read: ‘How now, more news?
64. {four strangers} Actually, six suitors are named in the original, and the mention of four is probably a remnant of
an earlier draft. As discussed in a previous note, it is likely that the original scene had four suitors, with the
Englishman and Scottish suitors added in a later draft. Several references to four suitors—and a reference to a fifth,
who comes after the four—are made by Portia.
One could rectify this discrepancy by a) changing all references to four to six, and the reference to a fifth, to
a seventh (which is somewhat cumbersome); b) changing the references to five suitors and a sixth (and delete the
Scottish suitor), or c) leaving the references as they are, to four (and delete the English and Scottish suitors). One
could also leave the inaccurate references as they are, without harming to the text. In this version, five suitors are
named yet the reference remains at four suitors—the implication being that the French suitor is not extant enough to
be counted as a suitor.
65. {with so good heart} /as whole-heartedly / with the fullness of heart / with the same warmheartedness / with the
same warm affection
66. {if he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil}
condition: / virtue / character / temperament / affection
the complexion of: / the dark color of / the dark skin of [See Additional Notes, 1.2.127]
67. {I had rather he should shrive me than wive me}
> If he has a dark complexion (like the devil) and a disposition like a saint, I would rather that he be my
priest, and hear my confession (shrive me), than marry me (wive me).
shrive me: hear my confession, absolve me of my sins (as would a priest) > the precise meaning is uncertain
/ I had rather he absolve me of my sin, then wive me herein