The Sly Side Of Portia Essay, Research Paper

The Sly Side of Portia

In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare presents the subject ; looks can be lead oning. This is seen in the character of Portia. She portrays herself as a pleasant individual when it comes to Bassanio, but is fallacious and average when it comes to her suers. She besides disguises herself as Balthazar, a immature physician who is to judge in the courtroom of Shylock and Antonio. Once once more, we see her cunning ways towards the terminal of the drama when she taunts Bassanio about the ring that she had given him earlier because it is losing. Portias & # 8217 ; shrewd and dishonest ways show how expressions can be lead oning.

Portia is left without a suer at the decease of her male parent. However, he has designed a agency of opinion by go forthing three coffins from which a suer must take: gold, Ag, and lead. The right coffin contains a image of Portia. If the incorrect coffin is chosen, so that suer must ne’er prosecute another adult female refering the topic of matrimony. Portia views her suers as ; & # 8220 ; Oh, these deliberate saps! When they do take, they have the wisdom by their humor to lose & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare 39 ) . She says that the Prince of Morocco is & # 8220 ; A soft elimination! I drapes, go. Let all of his skin color take me so & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare 34 ) . This shows non merely rough unfavorable judgment, but besides her biass against colour. When Bassanio comes in nevertheless, Portia responds in an wholly new and opposite mode. She asks Bassanio to wait a piece, stating him ; & # 8220 ; Before you hazard ; for, in taking incorrect, I lose your company & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare 44 ) . Bassanio chooses the right coffin and Portia promises all her ownerships to be every bit his & # 8211 ; on one status. She gives him a ring stating & # 8220 ; Which when you portion from, lose, or give off, allow it bode the ruin of your love & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare 50 ) . This is but a trap for Bassanio. Thus, Portia & # 8217 ; s sly side Begins to re-emerge.

A missive has come to Bassanio refering his good friend Antonio. Bassanio tells Portia about the debt Antonio owes of one lb of flesh to Shylock, which is a consequence of his ain adoption of money to come woo her. Antonio has been unable to bring forth that money and

has been summoned to tribunal refering the understanding he made with Shylock, a Judaic usurer. Portia gives him the money to bail Shylock out, but is defeated that she has to remain place. She decides to mask herself as Balthazar, who will be the replacing justice for Dr. Ballario in the test about the debt. She is non recognized by Bassanio and saves Antonio from his debt by confuting the bond held by Shylock. She says ; “This bond doth give thee her no jot of blood. . . if thou dost shed one bead of Christian blood, thy lands and goods are, by the Torahs of Venice, confiscate” ( Shakespeare 72 ) . She has now beaten Shylock at his ain game of misrepresentation and no 1 has recognized her.

Portia, disguised as Balthazar, has pushed the test in favour of Shylock. She, one time once more, is arch when she asks for her ain ring off of Bassanio & # 8217 ; s finger as recollection or testimonial of the test. Persuasively, she tells him ; & # 8220 ; For your love, I & # 8217 ; ll take this ring from you: Make non pull back your manus ; I & # 8217 ; ll take no more ; and you in love shall non deny me this & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare 76 ) . Bassanio reluctantly gives her ( Balthazar ) the ring. Upon their return, Portia & # 8211 ; with the ring in her ain manus & # 8211 ; asks him why it is non on his finger. She leads him into believing he has lost her by assisting his friend stating ; & # 8220 ; If you had known the virtuousness of the ring, or half her worthiness that have the ring, or your ain honor to incorporate the ring, You would non so hold parted with the ring & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare 85 ) . Portia eventually gives Bassino back the ring after she has tortured him with remarks of unworthiness, stating him to be more careful in the hereafter.

Portia appears to be really nice when Bassanio is taking a coffin, but the narrative reveals a cruel run that is really cute and calculated. Through use, Portia woos Bassanio and tests his love unjustly. Her visual aspect of kindness is pushed aside as she reveals her barbarous side of use. Therefore, lead oning visual aspects remains the implicit in subject of The Merchant of Venice as seen in the character of Portia.

Plants Cited

Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. , 1995.