“It’s a Man’s World”
One of Shakespeare’s favorite plot devices seems to be
putting female characters into male attire to give them a sense of power. We
see this in “Twelfth Night” as well as in “Merchant of Venice”. Not only does
Jessica dress as a boy in the 2nd act to escape her father, but
Portia and Nerissa enter the 4th act dressed as men. This is an
interesting development for Portia who had so little power in the previous acts
of the play; she was bound by her father’s will and unable to choose her own
husband.
However, when Antonio demands, “Most heartily I do beseech
the court/To give the judgment” (4.1. 238) Portia delivers the verdict. She
determines the climax of the plot. Her character has gone from having no power
and being subjected to a game of a chance to being the one that determines if
Antonio will live or die. Portia’s transformation is due to the fact that she
is disguised as a man. Although she showcases her wit in the 1st act
when she is listing the faults in her suitors and her education is obvious when
she tells Nerissa, “You know I say nothing to him, for he understands not me,
nor I him. He hath neither Latin, French, nor Italian” (1.2. 57-58) it is not
until she is dressed as a man that these qualities are fully displayed. As she
reads over the bond that Shylock and Antonio have she is able to think of a way
to save Antonio. She is clever enough to read between the lines and see that
the bond does not account for Shylock taking Antonio’s blood, “There is
something else. /This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood” (4.1.300-301).
The men who knew the circumstances of the bond failed to come up with a way to
save to Antonio. They were merely counting on Shylock’s mercy (even though he
refused to show any) and the Duke giving pardon to Antonio.
Portia is clearly a strong female character in the first
acts, but her gender allows her to be controlled. When she puts on the male
clothes she takes control of the courtroom as soon as she enters it. She
determines the right justice to pass for the good of Venice; she knows that if
the Duke pardons Antonio it will hurt Venice’s commerce. Economics is a sphere
that women traditionally were not a part of, but Portia is smart enough to know
the ins-and-outs of the Venetian market. She is also wise enough to spot the
loop hole to stop Shylock from extracting his payment from Antonio. Portia was
the one clever and cunning enough to save Antonio. It is ironic that she was
able to save him from his bond but could not save herself from marriage. Thankfully
Bassanio chose the correct casket. Portia is not able to display these strong
attributes until she is dressed as a man. She is powerless and controlled as a
woman, but as a man she is in charge and able to show her intelligence.
4 comments:
I think it is funny that women were considered the weaker sex. They were told they were no better than housework and having children. According to the men of the time, women were not even smart enough to think of anything else to do. However, Portia is proof that there were women who were just as smart and brilliant as the men, maybe even more so. This blog is correct in saying that she is the one to save Antonio, yet when the man's clothing come off, she is regarded as just another woman. What's an even bigger shame is that because she was disguised, she will not even receive any credit for saving Antonio and being smarter than everyone. The merchants will never know how big of a role she actually played.
I also find the aspect of women power within Shakespeare’s plays something very interesting. I was intrigued within your post when you commented on how Portia has no power within her woman body but once she hides that aspect under a man’s clothes, she has all the power. Now, as you say, it is true that within that time period women had no power. For example, they could not even act within Shakespeare’s plays, a young boy needed to play the character. Now if women were lacking in power, why is it that Shakespeare gives the most power to the woman in the play. He could have had Lancelot to ride in and save the day, but he specifically had Portia. I am curious as to why Shakespeare was so partial to his women characters. Perhaps he was a feminist before his time?
I always love a strong female character in Shakespeare's works. Another thing I love about Portia is that she is EVEN able to outsmart her husband into giving away his wedding ring. Bassanio may think he is smarter and wittier, but it is his wife who saves the day. And after she proves her valor and intelligence, she decides to engage in a battle of wits against her husband to test his word. He obviously fails. Sneaky? Yes. But she pulls it off flawlessly. Got to give her credit for that one.
I actually wish they found out - so the verdict would have a small chance to be null and void and poor Shylock might at least get his religion back. They take almost everything away from him. Why?! The reasons are 1. He tried to get revenge for the bullying he had to endure from Antonio, and 2. He is Jewish. I like Portia for her beauty and intelligence, but I loathe her for her hypocrisy. She is just cruel to Shylock when she demands mercy from him. He learned his place, and I learned to never put faith in the laws of your oppressors. Antonio deserved to die because of 1. His relentless bullying, and 2. He agreed to the bond in the first place. Shylock should at least get an apology, but they don't give one to him and they won't. Then again, if they found that out, they'd probably allow the punishment to stand. Shylock was a Jew, after all.
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