Where is portia from in merchant of venice

She is either wildly generous or has no actual sense of money, offering a massive fortune to Bassanio to help Antonio with Shylock. Having properly panicked Bassanio, she reveals the trick, to his evident relief.

She is also able to let Antonio know that he is not ruined after all, one of his ships having made it to shore, though she refuses to say how she knows. Discuss Discussion Forum Blog Separator. Library All Historical Documents Separator.

Despite her real feelings about the Prince of Morocco, Portia answers him politely and reassuringly. Since the irony of her words is not apparent to him, his feelings are spared. But once he is gone, she reveals that she did not like him.

When the Prince of Arragon arrives, Portia carefully addresses him with all the deference due his position. She calls him "noble. In the courtroom, Portia in disguise speaks to Shylock about mercy, but this is not merely an attempt to stall; she truly means what she says. It is an eloquent appeal she makes.

Her request for mercy comes from her habitual goodness. She hopes, of course, to soften his heart, knowing the outcome if he refuses. But the words come from her heart, honestly and openly and naturally. Finally, of course, what we most remember about Portia, after the play is over, is her wit and her playfulness. Even when Portia is complaining to Nerissa about the terms of her father's will, she does so wittily: "Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one nor refuse none?

They are either childish, humorless, volatile, ignorant, too fantastically dressed, weak, or have a drinking problem. Translation: Portia is rich and hot, which makes her the most eligible bachelorette in Belmont.

The heiress to her dead father's fortune, Portia's wealth makes her a meal ticket in the eyes of Bassanio, who sees Portia as the answer to all his financial woes—if he can marry her that is. Not only is every potential suitor out to get his hands on Portia's wealth, but Portia doesn't even get to choose her husband, because her dead dad set up a little contest "lottery" involving three caskets to ensure his little princess married the "right" man.

If you need to brush up on the casket contest, go to the "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory" section, but then come right back. It turns out that Portia's dad knew how attractive Portia would be as a rich, single girl, so he did what any wealthy 16th-century Shakespearean father would and made sure his only daughter would marry the man of his choosing. We've seen some pretty controlling fathers in Shakespeare's plays Polonius and Baptista, we're talking about you but this takes the cake, given that Portia's dad manipulates his daughter's marriage from beyond the grave.

O me, the word "choose! So is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father. Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one, nor refuse none? Notice the repetition of the word "choose" in this passage?

Portia's point is pretty clear—as "a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father," she's still not independent of her dad's control—even if the guy's dead, Portia is still expected to obey his wishes. But the thing to know about Portia is that she's not just a pretty face with a big bank account and a desire to obey her dead dad.

As the play develops and we see Portia in action, it becomes pretty clear that our girl is both smart and cunning. Of course, you'll be wanting some evidence for this claim, so here it is.