Portia Analysis

Portia is the rich daughter of Belmont and heiress to her dead father’s fortune. We first hear of her as a rich woman who could be the answer to all of Bassanio’s money troubles. But Portia turns out to be much more than a rich plot-device. This woman is one of Shakespeare’s deeper female characters – she’s a good girl, but she knows what she wants and how to get it, even if her methods are a bit unconventional.

To the play, it’s important that Portia is wealthy, but as the story develops, it becomes more important that she’s clever. With her disguised defense of Antonio at court, and her silly-but-devious ring trick, Portia shows that she’s mostly willing to play by the rules, but will have fun interpreting and twisting them to her own pleasure. She can out-think everyone, which helps her to win over the court, deceive Bassanio and Gratiano, and even back her husband into a corner at the end of the play. Her thinking also leads her to some deep thoughts on a variety of issues – some of the more philosophical speeches of the play belong to Portia. Most importantly, she operates within the bounds of the rules of social and legal norms, yet her quick and mischievous thinking allows her to be imaginative within those bounds instead of being oppressed by them.

Though Portia is clearly strong-willed (she shows her disdain for her many wooing men), she’s still an obedient girl. She sticks to her father’s plan for her and simply hopes that it will turn out right, though she’s not above being snarky when it comes to dealing with each of the suitors. The lady is gracious, so she’ll do things as they’re supposed to be done, but she’ll be damned if she doesn’t do things her way on top of that. The only time we ever really see Portia out of sorts is when she’s faced with Bassanio’s choice. For the first time in the play, she doesn’t seem to know what to say, or is unable to really communicate what she is feeling, which seems to be love for Bassanio. She gives herself over to him fully, but in everything that follows she does as she pleases, rendering her both obedient and rule-abiding (with regard to her husband and father), but not without a hint of her own mischief. Portia’s got her own touch, and she’s smart enough to figure out how to get what she wants. She has a certain playfulness too, which means her machinations aren’t manipulations, but just part of a fun game she devises.

Ultimately, this complexity still allows her to fit within the confines of being a woman in her times. And yet, her wit, intelligence, and generosity are all tools she uses to let others know that while she’s definitely a woman, and seems to be accordingly limited, she isn’t subordinate to anybody – except when she chooses to be. Her cross-dressing endeavor, where she outwits all the men in both the law and their ability to define gender, is a perfect example of this kind of cleverness. Besides displaying her ability to exploit loopholes, the cross-dressing is a clear if complicated testament to Portia’s view of justice and of her own intelligence. She knows the rules (both of social and legal norms), but she’s discerning enough to be able to decide which ones must be followed and which are just silly. Portia follows the former doggedly while working her way around the others. She’d never disobey her father’s will, but she happily uses the law against Shylock’s invocation of it. She expresses a desire to be Bassanio’s woman, but she directly flouts social rules by dressing as a man. Portia has clearly thought about justice, devised a code that suits her, and follows it to the letter.