An Analysis of Portia 威尼斯商人人物分析

On the Character of Portia in The Merchant of

Venice

Abstract

The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies in the world. In the Merchant of Venice, Portia plays the most important part in this play. She is a pretty young girl. The girl embodies the virtues that are typical for Shakespeare’s heroines.She is graceful, resourceful, humorous, wealthy and beautiful. This article mainly analyzes Portia’s intelligence, mercy, braveness and her independent consciousness.

Key words: Portia, characteristics

A. Her resource and mercy, braveness

Portia’s wisdom can be seen from her debate in court with Shylock. At first, she prays for Shylock’s mercy. Then, she agrees that he can get a pound of flesh, but adding that it does not to allow for any loss of blood. “The words expressly are ‘a pound of flesh.’

Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh;

But, in the cutting it: if thou dost shed

One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods

Are, by the laws of V enice, confiscate

Unto the state of Venice.⑴”

From the above what she says in court, it reveals her wisdom. Portia is resourceful not only because she has the ability to make the law work for her, but also because she can come up with the idea to save Antonio while men can not.

“The quality of mercy is not strain’d,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest......⑴”

From her words, we can see that Portia is a kind-hearted woman. What’s more, she is brave because she has the courage to dress up as a man to appear at court.

B. Her self-consciousness

Portia is a girl who owns beauty, dignity and wealth. And the most important thing is she obtains strong female self-consciousness. She knows what she needs, and tries her best to pursue.We can see her shining points from choosing her husband from casket.

In male-privileged society, women had no freedom and right to choose their marriage, women were in a subordinate position, they cannot be treated equally .However, Portia dares to challenge the tradition. When she faced many noble men who have high social status, she was very calm and brave. It embodies her self-consciousness and self-reliance. She

showed her nobility and pride to show that she cannot be obtained easily. When Bassanio,her true love, arrives, Portia use her resourceful mind to remind him picking the correct chest.

“I pray you, tarry: pause a day or two

Before you hazard; for, in choosing wrong,

I lost your company: therefore, forbear a while.

......

Before you venture for me. I could teach you

How to choose right

......

The seeming truth which cunning times put on

To entrap the wisest. Therefore, thou gaudy gold,

Hard food for Midas, I will none of thee;

Nor none of thee, thou stale and common drudge,

Tween man and man: but thou, thou meager lead,

Which rather threatenest than dost promise aught,

Thy paleness moves me more than eloquence;

And here choose I: ---Joy be the consequence!⑴”

This is the evidence that Portia never resigns herself to her fate and has self-consciousness. She knows what she wants and how to obtain. In order to peruse her own happiness and love, she makes use of her wisdom marry with her true love and at the same time,she obeys her father’s will.