Portia The Control Freak Essay Research Paper

Portia The Control Freak Essay, Research Paper

Portia the Control Freak (The-Merchant-of-Venice)

I would love to write a critical essay about the role of Portia in

Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice,” hailing her as one of Shakespeare’s

greatest contributions to the society of the sane; however, I find this

impossible after re-reading the text. At first, I hung on her every

word and was amazed at her wit, but later I found her to be just

another Shakespearean psycho. Basically, I understood Portia to be

nothing less than an obedient daughter obeying the whims of her dead,

over-protective father. She speaks in terms of respect about the coffin

ritual, and the reader believes her to be sincere. Later as her character

is unfolded, the reader sees a wife in love with the husband who was wise

enough to earn her love (and consequently her fortune!). Beware, gentle

reader! Do not fall under the spell of Portia the control freak! The

following scenerios must be proof that this woman is not to be trusted!

First of all, let’s evaluate the scene where Portia and Bassanio

are before the caskets where Bassanio must make his choice. The

dialogue directly preceeding the finding of the casket is basic lover’s

speech, but wait! Listen carefully to what Portia says: “If you do

love me, you will find me out” (III ii 41). Portia leads Bassanio to

believe that the choice he makes in the caskets is his own. She leads the

reader to believe that Bassanio’s love for her is the only force which

leads to the discovery of the correct casket. However, earlier when

Portia is speaking of the preparations for the casket choice, she

speaks of music which is to be played while Bassanio makes his choice.

Ok, this seems innocent enough; but examine the song–the first two

lines of the song rhyme with lead! It doesn’t take long for the

subliminal message to be absorbed in Bassanio’s brain, and the lead