Shakespeare has no heroes but only heroins In this context bring out the leading traits of the character of portia
Answers
Portia is beautiful and clever; in fact, she is far more clever than the men around her. While men try to control or deceive her in different ways, she is able to outwit them all. She clearly has to be more clever than the men around her to defeat the patriarchal society in which she lives. For example, her deceased father decreed that the man she marries has to win in the casket game; to help her chosen man, Bassanio, win the game over a prince of Aragon and a prince of Morocco, she employs a group of musicians to play tunes that provide Bassanio with the right choice to win the game. While dealing with the other men who vie for her hand, who are all deficient in some way, she feigns politeness and acceptance while rigging the game to favor her chosen man. Later, she disguises herself as a lawyer named Balthazar to save the life of Bassanio's friend, Antonio, who has been locked up by Shylock. While playing the part of a man, she uses the observations of men she has known to carry out her role to perfection. She is far more intelligent than the men around her, and she uses her beauty, intelligence, and savvy to triumph in a male-dominated world.
As, Portia is the most beautiful, intelligent as well as obedient character in the play The Merchant of Venice. Portia has been depicted as an obedient character who obeys to the will of her dead father about her marriage as for the lottery of caskets, devised by her father to choose a husband. As she was the graciest as well as the fairest lady in the world. Although she did not like Prince of Morocco and Arragon, she politely speaks to them and lead them to the casket to choose one. She also was a playful lady as she gives ger opinion for all those six suitors who had came before to woe her. At last of the play we know that when Shylock with the bond came to take a pound of flesh from Antonio's body, Portia in the character of a lawyer, saved Antonio from death by her intellihency.