Merchant of Venice Act 5 Response

1. At first, Lorenzo and Jessica took turns exchanging compliments toward each other. To interupt them, a messager entered to announce the arrival of the household mistress, Portia, so both Lorenzo and Jessica prepare for her arrival. The next day, the sound of trumpets announced the arrival of Bassanio and Antonio. Immediately, he informed to Portia that Antonio was aquitted at court. Then, Nerrisa and Gratanio argued about the loss of the ring Nerrisa had gifted to him during their marriage as a sign of his love to her. She was angry at the fact he gave the ring away, but she was mad at the fact he broke his promise. Portia bragged to them that her husbond would never do such a thing. To correct her, Gratanio ratted out his master. Both Nerrisa and Portia agreed that they would not lay in their husbonds' beds until they have their rings on their fingers. Antonio defended Bassanio by saying that he gave the ring to the lawyer as a fee for saving his life. In response, Portia and Nerissa handed back the rings to their husbonds and explained that they were the two that asked for their rings to test them. Antonio's ships' arrivals bring joy to all of them, and Lorenzo and Jessica get informed that they were to receive all of Shylocks wealth after his death.

3. If there was another scene or act to this book, would Gratanio and Bassanio ever take their ring off again? Where did Nerissa and Portia get the rings? Shouldn't Bassanio and Gratanio give Nerissa and Portia a ring? Would Portia and Nerissa ever cuckhold Bassanio and Gratanio? Would they go as far as sleep with other men to see whether Bassanio and Gratanio are loyal to them?

5. Portia was very clever to disquise as a lawyer to bail Antonio out and then check how loyal Bassanio was to her. Also, she was smart enough to find a loophole in the bond. Did she have any experience before? Portia seems to be the type of woman thatcares a lot about whether her husbond is loyal to her. Her intelligence surprises me. Even I never thought of a loophole through the contract.