Why does Portia say this in The Merchant of Venice?

Question

In Act III Scene 2 of *The Merchant of Venice* by William Shakespeare, > Portia : One half of me is yours, the other half yours. Mine own, I would say; but if mine then yours. Roughly translated it means "One half of me is yours, and the other half—my own half, I’d call it—belongs to you too. If it’s mine, then it’s yours, and so I’m all yours." Why doesn't Portia directly say that she totally belongs to Bassanio? Why take this "curved route" to end up at the same place ?

Answer 1

Portia is very wordy in this section, but I think it serves a couple of different purposes. First, Portia is incredibly smart, witty, and cunning. She manipulates the casket test for her own purposes -- she knows what she's about and her moves are nuanced and planned. Portia's speech can serve as a means of displaying her wit (especially since she's going to later show her plan to save the day, and she saves the day through her language). Second, following this section of the speech, Portia addressing the fact that we don't own what we think we own in this world. Nothing is quite what it seems.