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Women In Shakespear
methinks / You teach me how a beggar should be answered.Ў± The only main difference between the two women is the way they are perceived by the other characters.
Portia is thought of as a perfect angel possessing no flaws, which is shown when Bassanio describes her to Antonio and says, Ў°In Belmont is a lady richly left, / And she is fair and, fairer than that word, / Of wondrous virtues. Nor is the wide world ignorant of her worth, / for the four winds blow in from every coast / Renowned suitors, and her sunny locks / Hang on her temples like a golden fleece, / Which makes her seat of Belmont Colchis' strong, / And many Jasons come in quest of herЎ±.
Portia displays all the graces of the perfect Renaissance lady. She is not ambitious, she is quiet rather than restrictive. She is modest in her self-estimation. Her generous spirit makes her wish she had more virtue, wealth, and friends so that she can better help those she loves. Rosalind, on the other hand, is not described as beautiful and even though she is well liked in her society, she is not thought of in the same godly way as Portia is.
Besides saving the life of Antonio, Portia is also used to convey the theme of deceptive appearances. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses his characters to show the audience that a person cannot be judged by how they appear to the eye and that a person can truly be identified by their inner soul. Bassanio chooses the lead casket and proves that even though the other caskets appeared to be beautiful and trustworthy, the treasure was found in the casket of lead.
Shakespeare foreshadows the theme of appearances when Portia says to her new husband, Ў°You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand, / Such as I am©ј But the full sum of me / Is an unlesson'd girl, unschool'd, unpractic'd, / Happy in this, she is not yet so old / But she may learn; happier than this, / She is not bred so dull but she can learnЎ±. After saying this to her husband, she later dresses up as a man and finds a way to release Antonio from his bond with Shylock, when no one else is able to. She proves to the audience and to her friends that even though she might have been perceived as an unschooled, unpracticed girl, her inner self, posses the strength, intelligence and experience that enables her to do what she did. When Shakespeare created Portia's character, he contributed the likeness of Rosalind and added the elements of a perfect Renaissance woman. Even though Portia is a woman, she still posses the intelligence to use and manipulate words, the beauty to woo men, and the soul that stands above many others. Her appearance adds to her angelic reputation and her wisdom allows the audience of the play to acknowledge the theme of deceptive appearances.
Portia is one of ShakespeareЎЇs best parts for [next page]