Portia, The Merchant Of Venice

Throughout the education system, there seems to be an unofficial consensus that pieces of literature that are deemed “controversial” should not be taught in school. The Merchant of Venice falls into this category due to the Anti-Semitism which exists within the play making it “controversial” therefore, banned. On the contrary, this play should not be considered controversial and it should not be banned due to the learning experiences and knowledge that can be gained by reading this play. The contrastive style of literature will provide students and teachers alike who read this play the chance to expand their horizons when it comes to their English skills. With this in mind, The Merchant of Venice written by William

The only work that they could do was moneylender or something to similar. It is shown the idea of Shakespeare; he is a democrat, which means he is democratic in a traditional liberal sense of the world. In another way, he is all main equal and many of his plays show the women as the heroine and they are smarter than men, or just smart. In fact, with her idea, she solves the problem; she creates solutions in a way that is not normal exhibited from the society. However, it is possible to notice in this play that Portia has to disguise like a man, so it is notable the role of the women in this period. Shakespeare moved forward, he made a huge impact. He promoted a very democratic idea of the polis of sexist. A woman save the day of the Merchant, she was

Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice exemplifies a principle that is as unfortunately true in our time as it was in his - he who has money also has love, sex, and above all, power. In this case, the use of 'he' is deliberate; 'she,' in the Elizabethan era, rarely had either financial independence or much control over the course of her life. Portia, the deceitful heroine of the play, is a major exception. To put it bluntly, Portia is enormously rich. This unique position allows her to meddle in the affairs of the unsuspecting and somewhat dim male characters, and eventually gives her unprecedented power of self-determination. However, the play is more than a tale of feminine

Gender stereotypes are not a modern notion and as such expectations and limitations have always existed for both men and women. Fortunately women, who have formerly beared great burdens of discrimination, now have very liberated roles in society as a result of slowly shifting attitudes and values. Shakespeare was integral in challenging the subservient role expected of women in the 16th century. Throughout the play, ‘The Merchant of Venice’, women are expressed as powerful characters who behave, speak and live in a way that breaks away from the conformist role of females during the 16th century. Therefore, the submissive stereotype expected of women in Shakespearean time is confronted and defied through

Shakespeare initially introduces Portia in a way that her wealth and socioeconomic status are immediately evident. Not only is Portia rich and stunningly beautiful, but she rounds out the image of a

The feminist critical perspective examines the roles that women play in literary works and their true significance to the text. Their roles are usually decided on by the society or time period in which the story is set. In "The Merchant of Venice," females were suppressed by the societal ideals of Shakespeare's Elizabethan era, which is portrayed through the characters of Portia and Jessica, who could not establish their own powerful identities because they were women. Portia and Jessica are the main female characters in the play. If they had been given a chance to show their skills, they undoubtedly would've been extremely strong women. However, they had to mask their abilities in order to appeal to their male counterparts. Their

Being a possession is not being able to have a say, being treated however the owner desires, and not being able to stand up for yourself. A women being a possession was a very common thing in the time period of Julius Caesar. In this time period the men didn’t marry the women for love, they married for political power or for other reasons. Portia and Brutus have a special relationship, they truly love each other. One way that Brutus shows that he loves Portia as an equal is when he calls her noble and says he isn’t worthy of her.

This is particularly notable in the case of Portia, due to her assumption of traditionally masculine traits over the course of the text, and the exchange of rings ultimately allows her to reclaim her own autonomy.

The Merchant of Venice is a play set in a very male and Christian dominated society where other religions and women rights weren’t very well accepted by the community. However Portia, a rich woman who had previously been controlled by men, triumphs as she manipulates tricks and saves the lives of the men.

     For thousands of years, humanity has been ruled mainly by a Patriarchal society. In this society women have often been seen as objects or inferior humans through the eyes of their male counterparts. The Elizabethan era was no exception to these beliefs, and works of literature often supported these misogynistic views. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, however, the author appears to portray the characters of Portia and Calphurnia in a positive light, ignoring the common stereotypes often associated with female characters. Although Portia and Calphurnia have minor parts in the play, their strength is discernible. Both female characters are portrayed as

The role of woman in the society has always been really controversial, whether it was 400 years ago or now. Shakespeare's two very famous comedy plays, The Taming of the Shrew and The Merchant of Venice challenge a very serious social issue, the role and importance of woman in society. We all know the stereotypical image of woman in the society but Shakespeare questions the society on these thoughts through his plays. While Shakespeare expresses his ideas in a very unique way in each of his plays, this issue is common in both plays and is portrayed very similarly. Whether it is the way woman are treated, portrayed or judged, Shakespeare repeats the same idea through difference acts and events between the two comedies. There are some

Calpurnia means in this certain quote that she never believed in Omens and says that after a servant told her what was happening in the streets she became afraid. This shows that Calpurnia tends to be somewhat cowardly and really when she hears something she interprets it in the worst way possible. Portia, based at least on what she say is seen as stronger and more intelligent than Calpurnia. Portia says,” Within the bond of marriage, tell me, Brutus, Is it excepted I should know no secrets That appertain to you? Am I your self But, as it were, in sort or limitation, To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed, And talk to you sometimes? Dwell I but in the suburbs Of your good pleasure? If it be no more, Portia is Brutus' harlot, not his wife. “. In this quotation, Portia explains how she feels she should not be left out. POrtia feels, that as a man’s wife, she should be told the husband’s secrets as she personally feels she can deal with this kind of information and can help give him advice. Calpurnia and Portia, based on what they say , are seen as very different based on strength and how they feel their roles as wives should be. Both women have a different opinion on this as Calpurnia shows herself weak and constantly needs advice from her husband and Portia shows herself strong and should have a tight relationship with her husband and should share

Not only can women pretend to be men, therefore exhibit the commonly associated prestige; they can also exceed men’s capabilities. In the contraband letter, Bellario describes Balthasar (Portia in disguise) as a young man, but urges everyone in the court to "let his lack of years be no impediment" (IV i161) even though wisdom and keen sense are often associated with established adults. At first, Portia seems to support Shylock when she contemplates the case, so he remarks, "How much more elder art though than thy looks!" (IV i250). Portia’s looks are deceptive, but she is actually hiding her sex, not her age. Shylock is unknowingly amazed by a female’s intellect and continues to praise Portia repeatedly when he refers to her as a "noble", "wise and upright", "most rightful", and "most learned" judge (IV i245-303). After Portia shifts her argument to favor Antonio, Gratiano praises her in similar ways. Her intelligence astounds the court. In the final scene, Antonio, Bassanio, and Gratiano "are all amazed" (V i266) when Portia reveals the secret identities she and Nerissa took on. She proves that women can demonstrate more keen intellect than

Even though some might consider The Merchant of Venice a tragedy, it has always been known to be categorized as a comedy. Comedies are not always plays that generate laughter. They usually involve normal, everyday problems where families are looking for resolution to the problems, often almost suffering a tragedy before they are successful. The comedies always have a happy ending and usually end with couples resolving their issues and falling madly in love, and then getting married to live happily-ever-after (Schnell). The love story of Bassanio and Portia plays an important role in The Merchant of Venice. There are struggles they must overcome to come together. Bassiano’s lack of funds was the first obstacle to overcome in this love story. He had met Portia on an earlier journey to her land and wanted to return to seek her hand in marriage. His dear friend, Antonio, made a bond with Shylock the Jew to secure the funds for Bassanio to travel to Portia’s homeland. If Antonio forfeited the bond, he would owe the Jew a pound of his flesh in payment. It never entered Bassanio’s mind, or Antonio’s either, that the bond would have to be paid in this

With Shakespeare being born in the sixteenth century, there were still three centuries to go before women started the feminist’s movement. However, with his storyline in both The Merchant of the Venice and Twelfth night, the females leads disguised themselves as males to accomplish what needs to be done. Both plays, shows the heroine choices which challenges the characters they interact with. These endearing characters shows similar and different traits. The focus of these plays was based on Portia’s and Viola’s ambition which showed Shakespeare’s respect for women.