ACT 3, SCENE 4 Setting: Belmont. A room in Portia’s house.
In this scene, you will: l l
Reflect on the character of Portia. Write a diary entry for Jessica or a letter to Portia’s cousin, Doctor Bellario. Action – What Happens?
In this scene, we are back in Belmont where Portia asks Lorenzo and Jessica to be in charge while she leaves. She tells them that she and Nerissa are going to a monastery until Bassanio returns. However, we soon learn that Portia is making plans for her and Nerissa to go to Venice disguised as men. She instructs her servant, Balthasar, to borrow notes and clothing from her cousin, Doctor Bellario, who is a lawyer in Padua. She asks Balthasar to return quickly and meet her at the ferry where she and Nerissa will leave for Venice.
