Question

compare and contrast the following characters portia versus jessica

Answer 1

 differences are subtle and come mostly from the different situations the two women find themselves in.

Portia and Jessica have much in common.  Both are beautiful, intelligent, and funny.  Both are bold and can be blunt (e.g. Jessica says, "Our house is hell," Act 2 Scene 3; Portia says, "There is not one among [my suitors] but I dote on his very absence," Act 1 Scene 2).  Both disguise themselves: Jessica as a page boy so that she can run away with Lorenzo, Portia as a lawyer so that she can save Antonio's life.  

The biggest difference between the two is that Portia saves the day by playing the part of "Balthasar," a "Doctor of Laws," so that through her brilliant and humane arguing in court, she saves Antonio from having to give a pound of flesh to Shylock, Jessica's father.  From this we can see that Portia is very well-educated, wise, and generous of spirit.  She is also very self-confident, willing to pull off this dangerous undertaking without even telling Bassanio what she is up to.