Marriage
In Belmont, Portia is awash with suitors. Her father left a will stipulating that each of her suitors must choose correctly from one of three caskets, made of gold, silver and lead, respectively. Whoever picks the right casket wins Portia's hand.
The first suitor, the Prince of Morocco, chooses the gold casket, interpreting its slogan, "Who chooses me shall gain what many men desire", as referring to Portia.
The second suitor, the conceited Prince of Aragon, chooses the silver casket, which proclaims, "Who chooses me shall get as much as he deserves", as he believes he is full of merit. Both suitors leave empty-handed, having rejected the lead casket because of the baseness of its material and the uninviting nature of its slogan, "Who chooses me must give and hazard all he hath".
The last suitor is Bassanio, whom Portia wishes to succeed, having met him before. As Bassanio ponders his choice, members of Portia's household, sing a song that says that "fancy" (not true love) is "engendered in the eyes, with gazing fed"; Bassanio chooses the lead casket and wins Portia's hand.