William Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice
In this piece of work, I am to discuss whether Portia is a modern
woman of the sixteenth century. I am aiming to discuss many of her
elements, relating and comparing them with the time in which the play
is set. I will be looking at what aspects mark her out as a ‘modern’
woman and those that mark her out to be a ‘renaissance’ woman.
When William Shakespeare wrote, ‘The Merchant of Venice’, he included
a female character that leads the play dramatically. In most of
Shakespeare's plays, the women have little power and intelligence. In
The Merchant of Venice, however, Portia is a woman that saves the life
of a man with her wit and intelligence. Portia is one of Shakespeare's
great heroes, whose beauty, lively intelligence, and quick wit are
very well known in the society in which she lives. She is known
throughout the world for her beauty and good qualities, and she is
able to handle any situation with her great wit. Portia is
thought of a perfect woman. This is brought forward to us before she
appears, as Bassanio describes her to Antonio and says,
‘In Belmont is a lady richly left, / And she is fair and, fairer than
that
word.’
Act 1 Scene 1, lines160-170
We can say that Portia shows many of the acts of a Renaissance woman.
She is not ambitious. We think of her as something that many men would
think for an ideal woman. However, with her opening line,
'my little body is aweary of this great
world'
young woman is clearly appealing, smart, and interested in the world, and the tone in these
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Here comes Beatrice. By this day, she’s a fair lady. I do spy some marks of love in her. Works Cited Shakespeare, William.
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torture at the time. "Let me choose, for as I am, I live upon the
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