The Portrayal of Portia in William Shakespeares The...

The Portrayal of Portia in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice In the merchant of Venice, Shakespeare portrays Portia to be a person of mixed characters, her attitude and mood seems to change with every scene. However, she is always seen by us as being pleasant and polite. Shakespeare portrays Portia’s character through other characters as well as directly, Nerissa is used almost as a comparison to which we can judge Portia, and by observing other character’s references to her, we can also build up a more detailed mage of her personality. Portia is first introduced to us by Shakespeare in Scene 2, This scene gives us a basic idea of her personality, and through her speeches, Shakespeare†¦show more content†¦But however keen to follow her fathers will, she is very blatantly judgemental, and she talks openly about how she remembers him favourably. Shakespeare often includes indirect compliments towards Portia through other characters, and nearing the end of this scene, Nerissa remarks, â€Å"True madam, he of all men that ever my foolish eyes looked upon, was the best deserving a fair lady†. The intelligence that Shakespeare adds to Portia’s character at the beginning of the play is again used nearing the end of the play, and although her character is consistently presented as witty by Shakespeare, this wittiness is presented in a far more prominent manner in this scene. This wit and ability to trick others is presented most strongly when she puts a twist on shylocks bond. First Shakespeare makes Portia lull Shylock into a false sense of security by ‘accepting’ that by law shylock is indeed entitled to the taking of 1 pound of Antonio’s flesh, and she then finds a loophole in the law by which not only to spare Antonio’s life, but also to criminalise shylock. This shows incredible wit and her ability to think on the spot and is shown by this paragraph; â€Å"Tarry a little, there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot ofShow MoreRelatedThe Merchant of Venice: Self-Interest versus Love Essay1016 Words   |  5 PagesWhile there are many fundamental themes in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, only one seems to drive the play to its inevitable conclusion. There is a constant theme of self-interest versus love. On the surface, this seems to be the dividing factors between the Christians and the Jew. Shylock is portrayed to only care about money and profits, while the Christians are shown as people who value human relationships more. Examples of this theme are shown through Shylock’s behaviour, the manyRead MoreDetermining Whether there is a Presence of Anti-Semitism in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice893 Words   |  4 PagesDetermining Whether there is a Presence of Anti-Semitism in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice It is quite clear when reading The Merchant of Venice that there is a large focus on Shylock being a Jew. This is very prominent in his I am a Jew speech he, the Jewish moneylender, angry and betrayed, rails against the non-Jewish world which torments him. Antonio hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned myRead MoreCritique Of The Constancy Upon Women At The Time in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice875 Words   |  4 PagesCritique Of The Constancy Upon Women At The Time in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice In the merchant of Venice Shakespeare has presented three main women characters. These three characters are, Portia, Jessica and Nerissa. Each of these characters come with a different area of society. Women in the time this was set, were not aloud to do anything. They were treated badly, and couldnt chose there own decisions. Shakespeare has made this play to show people inRead More The Charater of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice1583 Words   |  7 PagesThe Charater of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice In his chapter â€Å"Shakespeare and Dissident Reading,† Alan Sinfield argues that viewing Shylock as anything but an evil villain is â€Å"achieved only by leaning, tendentiously, on the text† (Sinfield 1994, 6). This is an oversimplification of Shylock’s character as portrayed in The Merchant of Venice. Sinfield portrays Shylock as static and unchanging. However, emotions and portrayal of Shylock are not as forward as Sinfield claims. ConstantlyRead More Portrayal of Women in William Shakespeares Plays Essay3560 Words   |  15 PagesWilliam Shakespeares characterization of women varies immensely from one comedy to another. In his works, Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and Much Ado About Nothing, he portrays both dominant and submissive women. Ultimately, Shakespeare examines the complexity of women by displaying the vast array of attitudes, emotions, and their treatment and reaction to men as well as refuting the typical subservient wife role. In Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew, the difficultiesRead MoreThe Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Essay1501 Words   |  7 PagesThe Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock as rapacious and cruel is in the traditional style of an Elizabethan villain. A modern audience could argue that he has also humanised Shylock, and therefore gained some sympathy for his actions. From your reading of the â€Å"Merchant of Venice† examine these diverse reactions to the complex characterisation of Shylock. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock is unconditionally evil, and a Read MoreThe Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare Essay example2165 Words   |  9 Pageswas a great writer and she used to write poetry and speeches and similarly there was a great flourishing in the field of literature in this era specially poetry and drama. There have been great writers in this era, Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, John Donne are to name a few. However, when one talks about the drama of Elizabethan age, Shakespeare stands out the rest of the poets and playwrights. He marked his name as one of the biggest playwright as he was incredibly versatileRead MoreMerchant of Venice: Dehumanization of Shylock1540 Words   |  7 PagesNot Change Discrimination and hatred across religions can be often become a normal part of everyday life, and can be difficult to eradicate and extinguish. In William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, the idea of the â€Å"normality† of everyday prejudices comes across in interactions and the portrayal of Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in Venice. Through Shylock’s character, Shakespeare provides a commentary on how his society has viewed Judaism in a dehumanizing way for many generations, but also expressesRead MoreShylock as a Villian or Victim in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare1510 Words   |  7 PagesShylock as a Villian or Victim in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare The Merchant Of Venice is the story of Antonio, a merchant, borrowing money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, in order to fund his best friend Bassanio’s romantic ambitions. Like the majority of the habitants of Venice, Antonio is Christian. At the time of the play, the sixteenth century, there was a huge abhorrence against those who were not Christian. As Antonio needed money quickly he hadRead MoreThe Merchant Of Venice By Michael Radford1886 Words   |  8 Pages Shakespeare is known for the creativity and timelessness of his plays. The play The Merchant of Venice definitely captures the essence of universality. Different groups of people, even individuals, can connect to the character Shylock. Each person has their own view or interpretation of who Shylock is and what he represents. The movie The Merchant of Venice, directed by Michael Radford, portrays Shylock as a victim who suffers from violent discrimination. He finally retaliates only to find that