Merchant of Venice - Portia
by Joe Monckton
1. Extra Information
2. Portia was keeping Antonio in the dark about his ships for her own amusement
3. The court is full of important men, but only woman sees a flaw in Shylock's thinking.
4. Follows other people & men in their beliefs and actions.
5. Racist, like the rest of society, "the complexion of a devil" about Morocco when he arrives for the casket test.
6. Can be very cruel and malipulative
7. Just like many women, she is depicted as being smarter than most men.
8. Can change entirely, such as when Bassanio arrives. She acts modest and tells him he is her "king"
9. Wittiest person in the play, hard to get the better of.
10. Takes full control of the marriage, despite saying that Bassanio is her "lord" and her "king"
11. Quite possibly knew that Antonio's ships hadn't actually sunk - shows her mischief loving side.
12. Conventional Elizabethan Woman
13. Follows other people & men in their belief & actions.
14. First portrayed as a victim in Act 1 Scene 2. Her life is being controlled by her dead father, she's sad.
15. Life heavily controlled by men, like most other women.
16. Wants to see Shylock humiliated
17. Shows her cruel side during the trial scene
18. Insists on the seizing of his land and goods.
19. Makes Bassanio uncomfortable in Act 5 about the ring.
20. Loyal to her father
21. Very Intelligent
22. Mischeivious and witty
23. Capble of cruelty
24. Quite cruel to Bassanio - Torments him about the ring he gave away.
25. Behaves like Shylock, makes Bassanio swear to a bond he cannot keep.
26. Just like many women, she is depicted as being smarter than most men.
27. charachter is unusually complex considering the time period.
28. Sways the audience towards the chrostian side and Shylock appear to be wicked. She is manipulative
29. Can be very cruel and manipulative
30. The cruel side of Portia's nature emerges. Perhaps she is trying to be too much like a man.
31. The court is full of importent men, but only a woman sees a flaw in Shylock's thinking.
32. Nerrisa is also quite anti Semitic - this may have swayed Portia,
33. May only be so cruel to Shylock as Bassanio is.
34. Similar to Antonio, who seems less cruel than others but is still racist.
35. "Curbed by the will of my dead father"
36. Easily outwits Shylock in the trial scene and turns the situation around to make him seem like the person who is wrong
