Character Profile- Portia Flashcards
How is Portia highly sought after?
.Portia’s wealth and beauty make her very desirable as a wife and her suitors come from all over the world
.However, being desired doesn’t make Portia happy. In Act 1 Scene 2 she feels ‘curbed’ by her father’s wishes and dreads marrying someone she dislikes
.Portia could disobey her father’s will by telling Bassanio which casket to choose, but decides not to. This shows that respecting her father is more important to her than her own hapiness
How is Portia intelligent and opinionated?
.Portia is the hero of the play. She saves Antonio’s life by cleverly outwitting Shylock and she leads him to insist on the exact wording of his bond, then turns his own words against him. Portia tells Shylock that he “shall have merely justice and his bond”. She knows Shylock can’t take a pound of Antonio’s flesh without spilling any blood, which puts Shylock in an impossible situation
.Women were expected to be obedient by their husbands in the 16th century, but Portia defies these expectations. She asserts her authority over Bassanio by tricking him
.Portia is vey opinionated. She’s polite to her suitors in person, but judges them harshly in private. Her opinions can also be prejudiced.
How is Portia’s softer side shown?
.The audience sees another side to Portia when Bassanio first arrives at Belmont. She’s affectionate and submissive. This contrasts with the polite but distant way she treats the princes of Morocco and Aragon. In Act 3, Scene 2, Portia tells Bassanio that “P e half of me is yours, the other half yours” The repetition of yours shows how she’s ready to devote herself to Bassanio completely
.Portia is a virtuous character. She has strong morals and tries to do what she thinks right. She selflessly intervenes in Antonio’s trial and tries to teach Shylock the importance of mercy
.Portia isn’t cruel to Shylock as she could be. She gives him several chances “tear the bond” and end the case and walk away with the money
Expain Portia’s wealth
Portia is the rich daughter of Belmont and heiress to her dead father’s fortune. We first hear of her as a rich woman who could be the answer to all Bassanio’s money problems . But Portia turns out to be more than just a rich plot-device. Portia is one of Shakespeare’s deeper female characters- she’s a goof girl but knows she wants and how to get it, even if her methods are unconventional.
How is Portia presented as clever?
To the play, it is important that Portia is wealthy, but as the story develops, it becomes more important that she’s clever. With her disguised defence of Antonio at court, and her silly but devious ring trick. Portia shows that she is mostly willing to play by the rules but will have fun interpreting and twisting to her own pleasure. She can out think everyone which helps her to win over the court, deceive Bassanio and Gratiano, and even back her husband into a corner at the end of the play. Her thinking also leads her to some deep thoughts on a variety of issues, some of the more philosophical speeches of the play belong to Portia. Most importantly, she operates within the bounds of the rules of social and legal norms, yet her quick and mischievous thinking allows her to be imaginative within those bounds instead of being oppressed by them
How is Portia shown to be strong-willed?
Though Portia is clearly strong-willed (she shows her disdain for her many wooing men), she’s still an obedient girl. She sticks to her father’s plan for her and simply that it will turn out right though she is not above being snarky when dealing with each of the suitors. The lady is gracious, so she’ll do things as they are supposed to be done, but she’ll be damned if she doesn’t do things her way on top of that. The only time we ever really see Portia put of sorts is when she’s faced with Bassanio’s choice. For the first time in the play, she doesn’t seem to know what to say, or is unable to really communicate what she’s feeling, which seems to be her love for Bassanio. She gives herself over to him fully, but in everything that follows she does as she pleases, rendering her both obedient and rule-abiding but not without a hint of her own mischief. Portia’s her own touch and she is smart enough to figure out how to get what she wants. She has a certain playfulness too,which means her machinations aren’t manipulations, but part of a fun game she devises
Explain Portia’s status as a woman
Ultimately, this complexity still allows her to fit within the confines of being a woman in her times. And yet, her wit, intelligence, and generosity are all tools uses to let others know that while she’s definitely a woman, and seems to be according limited, she isn’t subordinate to anybody expect when she chooses to be. Her cross-dressing endeavour, when she outwits all the men in both the law and their ability to define gender, is a perfect example of this kind of cleverness. Besides displaying her ability to exploit loopholes, the cross-dressing is a clear if complicated testament to Portia’s view of justice and of her own intelligence. She knows the rules of both social and legal norms, but she’s discerning enough to be able to decide which ones must be followed and those that shouldn’t. Portia follows the former doggedly while working her way around the others. She’d never disobey her father’s will, but she happily uses the law against Shylock’s invocation of it. She expresses a desire to be Bassanio’s woman, but she directly flouts social rules by dressing as a man. Portia as clearly thought about justice,devised a code that suits her, and follows it to the letter
