| Portia | |
| Series: | The Merchant of Venice |
| Creator: | William Shakespeare |
Portia is a female protagonist in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. In creating her character, Shakespeare drew from the historical figure of Porcia — the daughter of Cato the Younger — as well as several parts of the Bible.
Portia is fond of proverbs, frequently quoting them, which was considered a sign of wisdom and intellect in the Elizabethan era. It has been suggested that the character of Portia was based on Queen Elizabeth, who was reigning at the time the play was written, and who also had a penchant for proverbs.
In Shakespeare's play, Portia is a wealthy heiress in Belmont. She is bound by a lottery outlined in her father's will, which allows potential suitors to choose one of three caskets made of gold, silver, and lead, respectively. If they choose the correct casket containing Portia's portrait and a scroll, they win her hand in marriage. Portia is glad when two suitors, one driven by greed and another by vanity, fail to choose correctly. She favors Bassanio, a young but impoverished Venetian noble.
Later in the play, she disguises herself as a man and then assumes the role of a lawyer, Balthazar, whereby she saves the life of Bassanio's friend Antonio in court. In the court scene, Portia finds a technicality in the bond, as it does not allow for the removal of blood, thereby outwitting the Jewish moneylender Shylock and saving Antonio from giving the pound of flesh demanded when everyone else, including the Duke presiding as judge, fails. It is Portia who delivers one of the most famous speeches in The Merchant of Venice:
In the end, Portia and Bassanio go on to live together along with the former's lady-in-waiting, Nerissa, and her husband, Gratiano.
In her book Shakespeare's Daughters, critic Sharon Hamilton categorizes Portia as one of Shakespeare's women who act instead of their (absent) father. Additionally, rather than being subdued by her society's restrictive feminine model, she is "confident, witty, and resourceful."[1] Susan Oldrieve notes that while Portia rebels against patriarchal control, she eventually relents, "partly out of trust and duty, and partly because she finds that it ultimately works to her advantage."[2]
Critics disagree about the extent of help Portia gives Bassanio in her test, the choosing of the caskets. In 1876, the critic J. Weiss was the first to assert that Portia assists Bassanio. More recent critics that take this view are S. F. Johnson, in "How Many Ways Portia Informs Bassanio's Choice," and Michael Zuckert in "The New Medea: On Portia's Comic Triumph in The Merchant of Venice," both in 1996. Opposing this view is Robert Hapgood in "Portia and The Merchant of Venice: The Gentle Bond" (1967) and Corinne S. Abate in "Nerissa Teaches Me What to Believe: Portia's Wifely Empowerment in The Merchant of Venice" (2002).[3]
Despite her lack of formal legal training, Portia wins her case by referring to the exact language of the law. The tactics she uses are, in modern terms, referred to as a "Philadelphia lawyer." These tactics help demonstrate her power in the court, contrasting with her earlier lack of choice in the marriage.
However, such tactics also lead to further discussions about the use and abuse of rhetoric. As a vital concept of civic life during the Elizabethan era, rhetoric often indicates an individual's wit (in a way, similar to the modern term "Intellect"[4]), while at the same time intricately linked to moral issues as it possesses the potential to obfuscate distinctions between right and wrong.[5] For example, the abuse of rhetoric skills is brought to light by Portia – highlighting the idea that an unjust argument may win through eloquence, loopholes and technicalities, regardless of the moral question at hand – and thus provoking the audience to consider that issue.
Frances Abington, Sarah Siddons and Elizabeth Whitlock all played Portia in the 18th century when actresses first started appearing on stage in performances of the play. More recently, the role has been depicted in the cinema, on television, and in theatres by a number of notable actresses such as Maggie Smith, Claire Bloom, Sybil Thorndike, Joan Plowright, Caroline John, Lynn Collins, Lily Rabe, and Gemma Jones.
The character of Portia has had a considerable and long-lived cultural impact.