FREE ESSAY ON MERCHANT OF VENICE: PORTIA

MERCHANT OF VENICE: PORTIA

Portia: Is she the best female Shakespearean part? Portia is one of Shakespeare's best
parts for an actress and within this play she displays great wit and intelligence. Those
are traits that no other female character has ever established. Shakespeare wrote The
Merchant Of Venice, between 1595 and 1598 and some of the main characters in the play
include: Antonio, Portia, Shylock, Bassanio, Lorenzo, Jessica, Gratiano, Nerissa,
Launcelot Gobbo and County Palatine.
In The Merchant Of Venice, Portia has a lot of long speeches in which she displays her
intelligence by either making fun of her suitors or showing her love for Bassanio or her
knowledge of law. The opening scene gives proof that Portia is rich and independent by
saying: " In Belmont is a lady richly left". This is also shown in the scene where
Bassanio tells her about the bond. She says "What, no more?" when she is told about the
amount of money owed and tells him, " Pay him six thousand, and deface the bond; double
six thousand and then treble that". This not only shows her to be rich, but also very
generous. When she married Bassanio, Portia knew that he was not as wealthy as the other
suitors, but there was something different about him. Portia had enough money to live;
she does not need a rich suitor, so she fell in love with the man whom she thought could
love her, and not just want to get richer. However, when Bassanio told her about the
bond, Portia immediately was willing to help Antonio with the money and the defeating of
Shylock the Jew. 
Portia gets to prove her wit and knowledge of the law in the courtroom scene when she
dresses as "The Doctor Of Law" and insists on helping out. She is allowed to do this
because she tells the judge that she a trainee and is well learned. If Portia did not
know anything about law, then she would not have been able to help Antonio and win the
case against Shylock. While pursuing her case, Portia seemed to side with Shylock by
agreeing with his rights to the bond. She said, "Why this bond is forfeit; and lawfully
by this, the Jew may claim a pound of flesh" In this opening of the scene, it seems as if
she is going to side with Shylock and help him. Then, at the point where Shylock is going
to claim his pound of flesh, Portia sees that there is nothing about blood in the bond.
She brings the whole case to a halt. It is obvious that she knew about this through the
whole scene and was just trying to fool Shylock. Portia carries on the play by telling
Bassanio that she needs the ring (which he promised not to give to anyone) for a reward.
She then says, And (for your love) I'll take this ring from you." 
Portia is one of the central characters of the play and she is involved in the main plot
more than some of the main male characters are. The whole plot revolves around Bassanio's
loan that was needed for him to woo Portia. Many of her speeches are as long, if not
longer than many of the male character's speeches, and she displays many traits that
either of the two male central characters, Bassanio and Antonio, does. Bassanio appears
to be reckless with the little money that he has, "'Tis not unknown to you, Antonio, how
much I have disabled mine estate by something showing a more swelling port." When
Bassanio says this, it seems that he only wants to marry Portia for her money and social
statures. " Sometimes from her eyes I did receive fair speechless messages." However, it
is obvious towards the end of the play that he is becoming more considerate and Portia is
having a good effect on him. Antonio appears generous and considerate also, but he does
not show any of the wit and intelligence that Portia does. "My purse, my person, my
extremest means lie all unlock'd to your occasions," shows Antonio to be generous. 
Portia's character most likely came as an inspiration to women in this point of time in
history. Within Portia's character, Shakespeare shows that women can be powerful,
intelligent and greatly appreciated within society. In the beginning of the play, Portia
was too perfect of a character. However, the fact that she had no say in whom she was
supposed to marry or who attempted to woo her made Portia imperfect and more inadequate.
This experience would have been quite stressful to any other normal woman, but she does
not see it this way because she is able to make jokes about her suitors. This shows her
very strong character and that she is not nervous at all. Shakespeare portrayed Portia's
character in a good way, but sometimes she was too self-centered and too concentrated on
her beauty to be a favorite character. I liked Portia's maid Nerissa bettered in terms of
character. It is still felt that Portia's role would be favored over any other role in
the play because she was undoubtedly the best part for an actress in not only this play,
but in every other part of any play that Shakespeare had ever written for a woman.