In Act 1, scene 2, Nerissa reminisces over how moral a man Portia’s father was, but remarks how odd it is for him to devise this challenge with the three chests. She assures Portia that whoever chooses the correct one must be deserving of her love. In Act 3, scene 2, Bassanio is the victor as he chooses the lead chest not because of the inscription, but because of the process of elimination. One could also assume that he had hints from Portia, who was praying that she be married to Bassanio, as in the first line of Act 3, scene 2, she says, “(to BASSANIO) I pray you, tarry. Pause a day or two before you hazard, for in choosing wrong I lose your company. Her use of hazard could just be a warning for him to choose carefully, but as the lead chest’s inscription states, “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath,” it is hard to look past this argument. Bassiano’s victory against the game is evidence of how well thought out the plan was, despite the fact that Portia’s father made it on his deathbed. It would be laughable to think that Portia’s father had Bassiano in mind when thinking of someone worthy to marry his daughter, but with what we gathered from the three inscriptions, Portia’s father wanted a responsible, humble, and trustworthy person to marry his daughter, which is ironic being as Bassanio originally intended on using Portia for financial gain, but later became truthful with his intentions. Although concerning at first glance, the chest challenge separates the worthy contenders from the unworthy ones and assures Portia a good and responsible husband.
Other Drafts and Brainstorming: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gg76bgXTprL2mY9u3-leSkEt-VUjOLflTZScdklGzlI/edit?usp=sharing
Natte's Writing Blog 
Your analysis of the play Merchant of Venice is superb. The way you implemented specific passages to reinforce your statements allowed the reader to understand where your ideas are coming from. Moreover, the way you structured your essay made your progression of ideas easy to identify. However, the reader might be overwhelmed by the amount of information as your essay begins with lines and information from the book. I believe that beginning with a hook or thesis statement could help the reader ease into the idea rather than throwing them straight into it.
LikeLike