# Scene II explained — The Merchant of Venice

> Chapter companion for The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.

## What happens

Portia instructs Nerissa to find Shylock's house so he can sign a deed, and she plans to leave for home ahead of their husbands. Gratiano arrives with Bassanio's ring as a gift and an invitation to dinner, which Portia accepts but declines the dinner. Nerissa privately plots to obtain her own husband's ring, and Portia encourages her, anticipating they will later outface and outswear their husbands about the rings.

## Themes in this chapter

### Gender and Disguise

Portia and Nerissa plan to use the rings as a means of testing and outmaneuvering their husbands, highlighting the theme of women using disguise and cleverness to assert agency.

## Character check-ins

### Portia

Directs Nerissa to find Shylock's house for the deed, accepts Bassanio's ring, and conspires with Nerissa to outface their husbands about the rings.

### Nerissa

Receives Portia's instructions, plots to obtain Gratiano's ring, and agrees to go to Shylock's house.

### Gratiano

Delivers Bassanio's ring to Portia and invites her to dinner, then agrees to show Nerissa to Shylock's house.

## Key lines

> Inquire the Jew’s house out, give him this deed And let him sign it: we’ll away to-night And be a day before our husbands home

Find Shylock's house, give him this document to sign, and we'll leave tonight so we arrive home a day before our husbands.

_Portia outlines her plan to finalize the deed and return home ahead of Bassanio and Gratiano._

> I’ll see if I can get my husband’s ring, Which I did make him swear to keep for ever.

I'll try to get my husband's ring, the one I made him promise to keep forever.

_Nerissa reveals her intention to test Gratiano's fidelity by obtaining his ring._

> We shall have old swearing That they did give the rings away to men; But we’ll outface them, and outswear them too.

They'll swear they gave the rings to men, but we'll confront them and outdo their oaths.

_Portia anticipates the husbands' excuses and plans to counter them with boldness._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_merchant_of_venice_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_merchant_of_venice_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_merchant_of_venice_se/chapters