for the lead casket begins to show us that he is someone who judges things by their appearance and monetary value. The inscription on the lead casket puts off Arragon even more. “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.' / You shall look fairer, ere I give or hazard.” Arragon feels the lead should be far more luminous and beautiful-looking for him to risk anything for it. Again, we see his bias towards the “look” and social worth or status of an object. He rejects gold too, since it is “what many men desire,” and he does not wish to “jump with common spirits . . . and rank with the barbarous multitudes.” Arragon sees himself as nobler, more cultured, and more refined than most people, and that is why he does not want to choose what everyone desires. Finally, he approaches the silver casket:

Why, then to thee, thou silver treasure-house;
Tell me once more what title thou dost bear:
"Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves:"
And well said too; for who shall go about
To cozen fortune and be honourable
Without the stamp of merit?

The inscription immediately appeals to the proud Arragon for two reasons. One, he believes that everything he has achieved has been well-deserved because of his “merit.” He believes he has “clear honour,” which distinguishes him from the “chaff,” or the riff-raff of his times, making him worthy of the highest treasure life has to offer. Two, he believes beautiful and wise Portia is exactly “as much as he deserves.” Since he is honorable and meritorious, he deserves the most perfect bride of all. Further, in Elizabethan times silver was also the metal associated with money and greed, while gold stood for luxury. Thus, Arragon’s choice reflects his love for materialism and status. It also echoes his own self-image, which is extremely high, but has little to do with what he can give Portia as a husband. However, when he unlocks the casket, what he finds is not a portrait of Portia, but an image of a “blinking idiot,” a fool.

Did I deserve no more than a fool's head?
Is that my prize? are my deserts no better?

What the casket reveals is a lesson for Arragon about the true “deserts” of presumption and arrogance. He is to take home a “fool’s head,” rather than the lovely Portia. The contents of the casket also reinforce our faith that Portia will get the suitor she deserves, and desires, and no less. Even though the choice of her husband has not been left to her, her deceased father’s lottery has at least been designed wisely. It would be very interesting to consider how much “choice” Portia herself gets to exercise in finding a life-partner, how her father controls her even from his grave, and how Shakespeare treats this thorny subject. Applying the principles of feminist criticism to the plot of the three caskets could help you see the events of the play in a fresh light.