The Merchant of Venice: Analysis of Portia Essay

“Oh. me. the word ‘choose’ ! I may neither take who I would nor decline who I dislike ; so is the will of a life girl curbed by the will of a dead male parent.

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Is it non hard. Nerissa. that I can non take one nor decline none? ( Act 1 Scene 2 lines 22~25 )

“In footings of pick I am non entirely led by nice way of a maiden’s eyes. Besides. the lott’ry of my fate bars me the right of voluntary choosing.

But if my male parent had non scanted me. and hedged me by his humor to give myself his married woman who wins me by that means I told you. yourself. renowned Prince. so stood every bit just as any comer I have looked on yet for my affection” ( Act 2 Scene 1 lines 13~24 )

– Although Portia wants to take the adult male she loves to get married. she can non make so. for her male parent – Cato – had left a will that tells Portia to get married a adult male that can work out the ‘casket’ game.

It is fundamentally where Portia’s suers have to take one coffin that contains Portia’s portrayal amongst the three coffins – one made out of gold. the other two made out of Ag and lead. In act 1 scene 2. Portia expresses understanding for herself. and how she thinks it is a barbarous way for her to follow. non being able to get married the adult male she wishes to pass her life with. Quoting ‘…will of a dead male parent. ’ we can state that Portia’s male parent is non alive any longer.

Therefore. Portia could. at any clip of her favour. interrupt her father’s will and do her ain determination – there were non a individual obstruction in the manner. However. as shown in the brush with Morocco in act 2 scene 1. Portia follows her father’s will with regard. despite the fact that her freedom is limited. These two quotation marks show severally how Portia struggles to take in her father’s will. yet oblige to her respectable father’s will. It has non merely proven the fact that she is loyal to her ain male parent. but hinted that Portia is capable of supplying trueness for people she respects.

Observant / Picky “I pray thee. overname them. and as thou namest them I will depict them ; and harmonizing to my description degree at my fondness. ” ( Act 1 Scene 2 lines 35~37 )

– Although Portia doesn’t possess the right. or the willingness to ‘pick’ her suer for hubby. she still seems to detect her suers really carefully. and remember many inside informations of them. The quotation mark stated above amounts up how she is confident on detecting. and judging people based on her careful observation. Further on in the scene. Nerissa. as Portia requested. calls out some of the names of the suers – Neapolitan prince. the County Palatine. and the Gallic Godhead Monsieur Le Bon for case. Portia analyzes each individual based on her first feeling and the after feeling she gets through conversation. The inside informations Portia provided made me make the decision that she is really observant and careful. even finical clip to clip.

Caring “What. no more? Pay him six 1000. and disfigure the bond. Double six 1000 and so soprano that. before a friend of this description shall lose a hair through Bassanio’s mistake. First go with me to church and name me married woman. and so off to Venice to your friend! For ne’er shall you lie by Portia’s side with an unquiet psyche. You shall hold gold to pay the junior-grade debt 20 times over ; when it is paid. convey your true friend along. ” ( Act 3 Scene 2 lines 298~308 )

– This is when Bassanio and Portia confirm each other’s love. and promise matrimony. After corroborating each other’s religion. Bassanio tells Portia about his best friend. Antonio. and that he is in serious problem – problem that is even related to him. Specifically. he mentions that Antonio is in debt of money from a Jew moneyloaner. and that Antonio is exposed to punishment that might be his life. To Bassanio’s comment. Portia expresses deep concern and concern. and straight puts out a solution that she will back up financially even over the extend of the debt. Quoting ‘before a friend of this description shall lose a hair through Bassanio’s mistake. ’ it can be said that Portia is really caring towards Bassanio and his comrades. and that she wants to be helpful to people she loves.

Clever “Tarry a small ; there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood ; the words expressly are ‘a lb of flesh. ’ Taken so thy bond. take 1000 thy lb of flesh ; but in the cutting it. if thou dost shed one bead of Christian blood. thy lands and goods are by Torahs of Venice confiscate unto the province of Venice” ( Act 4 Scene 1 lines 304~311 )

– With the little vellication with her lingua. Portia manages to salvage Antonio’s life. Not the reference the fact that Portia didn’t panic when Shylock was about to delve the knife into Antonio’s bosom. but she expressed her professional cognition in Venetian jurisprudence. and used it against Shylock’s action to barricade him out. This quotation mark was non merely important for the interest of salvaging Antonio’s life. but besides hinted at how educated and cagey Portia is. If it weren’t for Portia’s intelligence and velocity of believing the logic to counter Shylock’s logic. Antonio wouldn’t have been alive.

Thorough “If you had known the virtuousness of the ring. or half her worthiness that gave the ring. or your ain award to incorporate the ring. you would non so hold parted with the ring. What adult male is at that place so much unreasonable. if you had pleased to hold defended it with any footings of ardor. wanted the modestness to press the thing held as a ceremonial? Nerissa teaches me what to believe: I’ll die for’t but some adult female had the ring. ” ( Act 5 Scene 1 lines 199~ 208 )

– Portia states the quotation mark above when she tells Bassanio about how defeated she is. for Bassanio had broken the promise of non separating with the ring that Portia gave him for the first clip. Of class. Portia is the 1 who set this secret fast one up against her hubby to prove his trustworthy. but the words she says are adequate to agitate Bassanio. This doesn’t needfully mean that Portia is being barbarous. but she is thorough ; thorough that she has to do the relationship between her and her hubby crystal clear. utilizing any method it takes.

Character Motivations and Aims:

If we have a expression at Portia from the position of the whole narrative. she possesses two major aims she wishes to carry through: the first aim is to happen a suer who manages to take the right coffin. and get married the worthy gentleman ; the other aim is to assist her beloved hubby salvage his best friend Antonio from decease.

When Portia foremost makes visual aspect in the drama. she merely gives off intimations that indicate to her being determined to happen herself a worthy suer. nil else. It is given in the drama that her male parent is dead. and that he had left a will for Portia on her matrimony – will that prevents Portia from get marrieding whoever she wants. but to set suers to a conundrum to screen out the worthiest. Having no other adverting about her household except for her dead male parent. a fact that she does non hold a good household at a immature age. and that she does desire to acquire married to set up a healthy household can be derived. Besides. citing “O me. the word ‘choose’ ! I may neither take who I would nor decline who I dislike. so is the will of a life girl curbed by the will of a dead father” ( Act 1 Scene 2 lines 22~25 ) . Portia is even fighting to do her manner to happen herself a worthy suer. Hence. the factors of Portia desiring a nice household. and the ‘riddle’ her male parent had left for Portia keeps Portia motivated to make her aim. which happening a worthy gentleman and set up a healthy household.

When Portia meets Bassanio and Bassanio turns out to be the worthy suer. Portia’s nonsubjective becomes fulfilled ; she marries her ‘true love’ and now has a household that she desired. However. she runs into another job. which shortly becomes her nonsubjective – salvage Antonio’s life. At the clip. Antonio and Portia have non met yet. However. Portia feels obliged to salvage the hapless friend of her hubby from losing his life from Bassanio’s mistake.

Quote “”I ne’er did repent for making good. nor shall non now ; for in comrades that do converse and blow the clip together. whose psyches do bear an egal yoke of love. there must be needs a similar proportion of qualities. of manners. and of spirit ; which makes me believe that this Antonio. being the bosom lover of my Godhead. must inevitably be like my Godhead. If it be so. how small is the cost I have bestowed in buying the gloss of my psyche from out the province of beastly cruelty” ( Act 3 Scene 4 lines 10~21 ) depict how her attention for her hubby had extended to caring of Bassanio’s best friend. therefore actuating Portia to acquire herself involved in protecting Antonio’s life. Along the same line. Portia shows marks that there is. in fact. another motive that Portia is affected when she decides to assist Antonio.

“What. no more? Pay him six 1000. and disfigure the bond. Double six 1000 and so soprano that. before a friend of this description shall lose a hair through Bassanio’s mistake. ” ( Act 3 Scene 2 lines 298~302 ) Portia brings up the fact that the ground why Antonio’s life is at hazard is partly because of Bassanio’s mistake. Portia sees through that if Antonio dies from Bassanio’s mistake. her hubby would non merely heartache at the fact that he lost his best friend. but besides at the fact that Antonio’s decease was his mistake. Portia loves Bassanio. hence Bassanio’s felicity straight relates to Portia’s felicity. Therefore. Portia makes attempt to maintain Bassanio’s societal life stable. so that the benefit of Bassanio’s societal stableness would finally enrich their love life. Portia acts really wise. and by and large Acts of the Apostless based upon motives that would profit her life – although in procedure. she ends up assisting others every bit good.

After all Portia goes through within the drama. I think Portia does alter. although it is in a signifier of ‘revealing’ more about herself instead than ‘shifting’ from one point to another. When Portia makes her first stance with the aim of acquiring a legitimate suer. there is a opportunity that her character being viewed as a rich. naive adult female who is despairing for a household. However. once she had reached the end of get marrieding a worthy adult male. she reveals her generousness. wisdom and logic and frequently acts as the ‘problem convergent thinker. ’

Language:

One thing that I’d name particular about the manner Portia negotiations would be that she has the inclination to speak exactly and casually. yet put a batch of significances and force into her words. This trait is the most typical when she disguises herself as the physician of Torahs to set Shylock on test. “Therefore prepare thee to cut off the flesh. Shed thou no blood. nor cut 1000 less nor more but merely a lb of flesh. If thou tak’st more or less than a merely lb. be it but so much as makes it light or heavy in the substance or the division of the 20th portion of one scruple. nay. if the graduated table do turn but in the appraisal of a hair – 1000 diest. and all thy goods are confiscate” ( Act 4 Scene 1 lines 323~331 ) These words are so precise and even intimidating that cuts deep into Shylock’s old and bing logic at the test. Shylock. tripped over his ain logic and point of accent. wholly loses assurance he had at the beginning of the test refering the ‘law. ’ I personally don’t think Portia negotiations in heavy and uncomfortable manners. nor do I believe Portia lacks profession or formality. She possess the really endowment that allows her to set unbelievable sum of significance and power into the Swift words she uses. Portia ne’er loses her aristocracy and pride of her character.