Merchant Of Venice Character Analysis

Merchant Of Venice Character Analysis

Portia in The Merchant Of Venice, has been considered as one of the most perfectly developed female protagonist. The heiress of Belmont represents the nexus of the play, as the quest for her hand creates a motive for Bassanio to borrow money which initiated the bond plot and the ring plot. Furthermore she manipulates the trial and resolves the bond episode and the ring episode. Portia is introduced in the play as being a wealthy heiress whom many suitors try to court. Her significance and characteristic in the play can be seen in her genuine love, her graciousness and her witty yet playful traits. She further represents the comparison between Belmont and Venice, herself and shylock and most importantly, love and self interest, one of the key themes in the play. Critics liked to compare Portia with Shylock and the comparison brings out the salient traits of her character. One of them stated that while Portia stand for everything 'bright, generous, and noble' while Shylock represents 'wickedness and evil'.

The language used in the play suggests that money is a source of power and desire. The penniless Bassanio feels inferior to Portia who is intelligent, noble and refined. Portia's speech, unlike a woman in the Elizabethan era, seems to be heavily loaded with financial expressions. Her language reveals how comfortable she is in the masculine, world and her unwillingness to leave it. Her speech also demonstrates her intelligence and eloquence and seems to mock the existing social norms. Indeed Portia has shown to be far from obedient to patriarchy. Portia's father had left a clause in his will that the suitor will pick the correct casket to in order to marry her. Although she couldn't break the clause, her intelligence serves her well in her pursuits of Bassanio as she manipulates the test for her own purpose. It reveals the casket choosing event itself was a gimmick and rather Portia was controlling the entire situation according to her will and treating her suitors as mere puppets. On the other hand, while men around the world are vying for her attention, she is apparently considers herself as superior and better position to judge men's masculinity. However her intolerance and hypocrisy is suggestive

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