In <em>The Merchant of Venice </em>by Shakespeare, the main character, Portia, is to be wedded to a suitor who makes the right choice in the trial-game that his father devised. One of the suitors is the nephew of the Duke of Saxony, who is a drunk and for which reason, Portia despises. Due to his drunken habits, Portia compares him to a sponge that will absorb any alcohol that is placed before him.
