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GCSE English Literature · key term
A person who seeks marriage chiefly to gain another person’s money or property.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Paper 1
Revise: BassanioHis description of Portia begins with her inheritance before moving to her beauty and virtue. This order gives grounds for seeing him as a fortune-hunter, someone who pursues marriage chiefly for money. However, he also recalls affectionate messages from her eyes, suggesting that their attraction began before this request for financial help.
Paper 1
A person who pursues a wealthy partner primarily to obtain money or social advantage.
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Marriage offers a route out of debt, supporting a reading of Bassanio as a fortune-hunter. In Shakespeare’s society, marriage involved property and financial obligations as well as personal affection; the play makes these connections part of the romance itself.
Paper 2
Someone who seeks marriage chiefly to gain wealth.
Revise: BassanioAsked about love, Bassanio answers with money, then introduces Portia as a wealthy heiress. This gives grounds for seeing him as a fortune-hunter. His courtship could rescue his finances, and he asks Antonio to risk still more money after previous help has been lost.
