In Act 1, Scene 2 of The Merchant of Venice, Portia gives her assessment of each of six suitors who have come to woo her. Each suitor comes from a different country. (These six do NOT include the suitors whom we meet later: the Prince of Morocco in Act 2, Scenes 1 and 7; the Prince of Arragon in Act 2, Scene 9; and Bassanio in Act 3, Scene 2.)
This is a short passage (lines 34 - 103), and wickedly funny. It shows Portia's wit, her ability to judge character, and also her humility, for even as she jokes about these suitors' shortcomings, she admits, "I know it is a sin to be a mocker." Yet she has too much foresight and self-worth to marry any of them.
The passage is worth reading for the humor alone. Here is a list of the six suitors and of Portia's problem with each of them.
The Neapolitan prince. He only talks about his horse. Portia says, "I am much afeared ... his mother played false with a smith." (!)
The County Palantine. He is gloomy, always frowning.
Monsieur Le Bon. He is flighty, with no consistent character. "If I should marry him, I should marry twenty husbands."
Falconbridge, the young baron of England. He is good-looking, but he speaks no Latin, French, or Italian, and Portia speaks no English. Also, he dresses oddly.
The Scottish lord. Immediately fought with the Englishman.
The young German, the Duke of Saxony's nephew. He is drunk every afternoon, and vilely rude even when not drunk.
Portia wraps up her assessment with the hilarious and quotable line,
... there is not one among them but I dote on his very absence; and I pray God grant them a fair departure.
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