Portia speaks this statement to the Prince of Morocco. He has just told her, “Mislike me not for my complexion,” explaining that he is worthy and attractive in spite of his dark skin color. In fact, he is proud of it, and would only change it to impress Portia. Her reply has a number of meanings. She thinks that he is “as fair / As any comer I have look'd on yet,” meaning she admires him as much as any suitor she’s met so far. “Fair” also signifies beauty and a light color, suggesting he is as handsome as her other suitors.
However, Portia is both honest and disingenuous in this statement. She only recently disparaged Morocco for his race, stating that she would not want to marry him “if he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil.” Before that, she criticized every single admirer except Bassanio. In the sense that she dislikes all of her potential husbands, she does consider Morocco to be equal to them—equally disdained.
No comments:
Post a Comment