William Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice

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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'

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