Evolution

BASSANIO
ROLE AND IMPORTANCE

Bassanio is a young man who has just left behind the carefree days of his youth with a resolve to enter into the respectable life of being a good husband. In the past, he has squandered his wealth on pleasures of good living and extravagant expenditures. His lack of funds, however, does not stop him from generosity nor does it prevent him from enjoying a good life. As a result, he is deeply in debt, mostly to Antonio. To solve his financial problems, he seeks to marry into money, and Portia is the object of his desire. As her suitor, he is graceful with words and is presented as the model of a romantic hero.
Because of his kindness and generosity, especially in his relationship to Antonio, Portia is very attracted to him and delighted that he chooses the correct casket to win her hand in marriage. His and Portia's love, though born in the magic world of Belmont, is tested in Venice, which symbolizes the real world, and is proven to be true and strong.

 Bassanio is an example of a type of young manhood to be found almost every day. Handsome, clever, pleasure-loving, and pleasure-seeking, but still with many noble traits, it is not until some sudden crisis occurs in his life that he discovers his own littleness, or that his friends realize how much there is in him that is truly manly and noble. His first act in the play is to borrow money not for the first time from Antonio in order to purchase a suitable outfit in which to woo a lady of great wealth whom he believes to be already prepossessed in his favor. He confesses to a feeling of great admiration for the lady, which is, in one of his temperament, probably his leading motive in seeking her, though he declares to Antonio, to spare the feelings of the cousin who had done so much for him, that his chief object is to gain money with which to pay his debts. 

But shortly after his arrival at Belmont, his feelings undergo a sudden and unexpected revulsion. The utter truth and...