While Bassanio and Antonio were out to find Shylock, Portia was facing her own problems. Portia’s father had arranged conditions of her marriage before he died.
He didn’t trust Portia’s judgment. He felt that she would choose an unsuitable person to marry. So, before he died, he had put three chests in a room. One chest was made of gold, one of silver and one of lead. In one of these chests was a small picture of Portia.