Towards the end of the play Shakespeare shows us that women were not respected – when Portia had to dress as a man to gain admiration in the courtroom. But this imaginative act works when Portia wins the case showing that the shackles of patriarchal society bind not all women. (Act 4)
Initially Shakespeare makes us believe that the character of Portia is weak and submissive but this was only to emphasise that women were far from this. During the first task Shakespeare demonstrates that women have opinions but also that men sometimes leave women powerless. In her soliloquy Portia implies that she is racist when the Prince of Morocco chose the wrong casket, “Let all of his complexion choose me so” (Act 2 scene 8) – she hopes that all men with dark skin make the same choice. However this point just emphasises Portia’s powerlessness in choosing a husband.
When Bassanio completes the casket test Portia willingly offers herself to Bassanio, but does not do this freely, as the casket test was invented by her father so that when he died he could still control her, “I may neither choose who I would nor refuse who I dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curb’d by the will of a dead father”. (Act 1 scene 2 line 22 – 25). At the end of the play when Portia gains independence and confidence in the courtroom, she loses this by forgiving Bassanio when she could have divorced him and freely chosen her own husband. However I think that by the end of the play, a schoolgirl crush, which I can tell from the way Portia remembers Bassanio immediately (Act 1), has turned into love, which is why Portia forgives him. Portia frees herself from being a possession by inventing her own task (the ring task). When Bassanio fails this test, the effects only seem to strengthen their relationship and by the end of the play Portia freely gives herself to Bassanio and therefore has a lot more freedom.
By the end of the play, Shakespeare has left Bassanio in a position where Portia has Bassanio begging at her feet, asking her not to divorce him (Act 5 scene 1 line 199 – 231). Shakespeare manages to create this situation by developing Portia’s character to shows choice, authority and feminism by forming her own special task where she can show that her character is strong and assertive. She also dresses as a man to gain respect – Portia demonstrates independence, wit, skill and shows she is learned when she outsmarts all the men in the courtroom. This imaginative act works when Portia wins the case showing that the shackles of patriarchal society bind not all women. (Act 4)
Portia’s confidence and language changes slightly in the courtroom as well. I believe this may be due to the fact that isn’t forced to act subservient and have to play the stereotype that is obvious in the play – that all women are possessions and are not valued. I don’t think that this confidence was ‘put on’ by Portia, it just showed more because she didn’t feel like she had to play a stereotyped part.
Shakespeare develops the other female characters role in the play when he gives Nerissa’s character many self-sufficient qualities, she is intelligent, quick-witted and wise, “Your father was ever virtuous, and holy men at their death have good inspirations… will no doubt never be chosen by any rightly but one who you shall rightly love”. (Act 1 scene 2 line 27 – 32)
However, like Portia, Jessica was classed, by her father, alongside his jewels and riches, finally he ranks her as less important. Despite this, she is in the same position as Portia being passed from father to husband – even though by the end of the play she is an equal with her husband.
When Jessica ran away with a small amount of her father’s money she showed that women were merely possessions, “Find her as she has my money” – Shylock (her father) is far more concerned for his money than his daughter which means that this character was either not very important or all the women in that time were not of great value. This incident also shows that Jessica’s character may not have been thought of as a good role model when she stole and was deceitful to her father.
But Shakespeare also gives the other female characters many positive qualities for example courage and independence. Jessica who disobeyed her father to pursue her own future, “I will make fast the doors, and gild myself with some moe ducats, and be with you straight”.
I think that the events, which concerned Jessica were created as an extension of the idea that Shakespeare had already set up; with Portia as a possession passed from father to husband. Shakespeare used exactly the same method to free Jessica from the shackles of patriarchal society for example, when Jessica created the ring test. By the end of the play both the main female characters, Jessica and Portia had much more freedom and seemed much more opinionated than at the beginning when both were ‘owned’ by their father’s who didn’t appreciate their potential.
My first impression of women in the time of Shakespeare and in the play was that they were of great importance, even after reading The Merchant Of Venice. The main reason I thought that women were held in great esteem was because the greatest Queen who ever ruled England (Queen Elizabeth) was at the throne at the time. Also because after reading The Merchant Of Venice for the first time I thought that Portia was admired and was free/ independent. But after studying the text more closely and looking for evidence of this conclusion I realised that most women were dependant on men and that strong female characters, such as Portia, were great role models but were the minority in the female population.
Finally, I think women weren’t given many opportunities and had to suffer under many constraints at that time e.g. that women were mainly controlled by their father’s or ‘the man of the house’ – this was due to the stereotype that all women should stay at home and cook, clean and look after the children.
By Amber Woodhams, 10 More
