Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Legal Studies, 2(4), 71-75, 2020

Publisher homepage: www.universepg.com, ISSN: 2707-4668 (Online) & 2707-465X (Print)

https://doi.org/10.34104/ajssls.020.071075

Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Legal Studies

Journal homepage: www.universepg.com/journal/ajssls

A Judicial Exploration of Portia in The Merchant of Venice: A Critical

Study
Muhammed Asgor Hossain1 and Md. Shaon Akter2*
1
Department of English, Islamic University, Kushtia, Bangladesh; and 2Department of English, Khwaja Yunus Ali
University, Sirajgonj, Bangladesh.
*Correspondence: [email protected] (Md. Shaon Akter, Lecturer, Department of English, Khwaja Yunus Ali
University, Sirajgonj, Bangladesh).

ABSTRACT
The term “Judicial” stands for an idea relating to the administration of justice or a phenomenon appropriate to
the law or judgement. In the present study, we have an interesting character Portia in William Shakespeare’s
The Merchant of Venice who disguises herself as the judiciary personality to explore a judiciary case in the
court of Venice. She submitted her identity before the judge as a legal pleader appointed by the Duke of Venice
to run the case between Antonio and Shylock. Shylock gets ready to cut one pound of flesh from the heart of
Antonio according to the contract between them. Antonio is quite disappointed finding no other alternatives to
rescue his life. The audience also gets disheartened that there is no way left for Antonio’s life and this trial will
finally come to an end. In that crucial moment of utter helplessness, Portia arrives as a heavenly savior for
Antonio to rescue him as a competent lawyer. So in this study, it shows Portia’s judicial portrait and as a
successful female lawyer.

Keywords: Judicial exploration, The Merchant of Venice, Critical study, Shylock’s, and Portia.

INTRODUCTION witness her extraordinary wit and power to deal with

In The Merchant of Venice it seems that Portia Shylock’s and Antonio’s sensitive issue. Antonio’s
disguises as Balthasar, a man of Law in order to travel life was at stake as he has promised to pay a huge
to Venice and to enter the courtroom as a lawyer. In amount of loan three thousand ducats to Shylock
Shakespeare’s time, women were considered inferior which was needed for his friend Bassanio to win the
to men. They were not allowed to exercise freedom. heart of his indented Portia. At that time Antonio’s
By means of disguise, Shakespeare’s female money was invested in the fleets which were in the
characters experienced some power and freedom that sea. So, he went to a Jewish usurer Shylock to borrow
a woman could usually not enjoy in a family. She has money from him with a dreadful contract that if he
proved that she is the only character who has failed to pay the loan within three months, Shylock
necessary strength to stop Shylock’s unfair business. could cut off one pound of flesh from his heart.
Her intervention in the court allows the audience to Unfortunately, his two ships were wrecked in the sea
by the storm. So, he could not pay the money in due

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time. Shylock was seeking for this type of opportunity Her father tied her luck with a casket scene. That
to take revenge upon Antonio as he was a Christian means Portia could marry only that suitor who would
and did not like Shylock. Lastly, he got the chance choose the right casket in which Portia’s portrait was
and was taking preparation to fulfill his desire. hidden among the three-gold, silver and lead. But if
any suitor failed to choose the right casket, he would
Antonio sent this message to his friend Bassanio who leave immediately and would never be able to woo
was taking preparation for marriage with Portia. another woman ever again. However, the Prince of
When Bassanio heard this ill news, he let Portia know Morocco, and the Prince of Arragon failed to choose
of it. At this stage, Portia hit upon a plan to disguise the right casket but Bassanio (Antonio’s friend) chose
herself as a Venetian lawyer to face the crucial case the right one and he won Portia. Actually, this was a
hiding her own identity. She arranged everything difficult job for Portia regarding her marriage. This
according to her plan and finally arrived at the court was a patriarchal oppression towards the daughters.
in the appointed day. In course of the trial, she came Yet, Portia remained obedient with father’s decision
out successful to defeat Shylock through her wit. Here though some critics have commented it as a burial for
we shall prove that even a girl has the ability to prove living Portia out of fun. For example, Leslie A
herself as a successful lawyer. The study was Fielder said: Portia is “locked in a coffin, where she
undertaken for the following objectives: To show the lies, as if wrapped in lead, until he (suitor) revives
judicial of Portia, and to prove her as a successful her’’ (Fielder, Leslie A, 1986). Hilsky believes that
lawyer. woman’s disobedience to her husband or father was
not regarded just as a private offense, but as a
Review of Literature violation of divine order. Besides, Shakespeare
Portia is not only a courageous lady in the play but belonged to the age of Elizabeth and there is a famous
also a typical character of Shakespeare from the speech of Queen Elizabeth: “I know I have the body
perspective of feministic approach (Akter et al., of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and
2020). Shakespeare was very conscious about his stomach of a king, and of a king of England too,…”
contemporary society. Women were very suppressed (Henry VIII Cross Stitch, 2020).
and oppressed because of the patriarchy in the
contemporary society of Shakespeare. There are a lot This trend is noticed in the daughters of
of evidences of treating women negatively in the age Shakespeare’s plays.. But they had to struggle a lot to
of Shakespeare. He depicted the contemporary life come out successful. Juliet Dusinberre points out that
style, society, religion, politics, love and death very “in Elizabethan and Jacobean times, freedom of
Skillfully. A profound philosophy about life has been conscience for women was still a new concept
reflected in the writing of Shakespeare along with the (Dusinberre, Juliet, 1975). It is exactly at this point
social atmosphere. In Shakespeare we notice the that Shakespeare tried to introduce Portia to prove
conflict between the fathers and the daughters to herself as a competent girl. Because of her
establish the rights of the daughters. In Portia, we see intelligence and wit she climbed up to the peak of
her as an efficient lawyer in one hand and in the other Shakespeare’s heroines. She disguised herself as a
hand, Shakespeare has established the female rights in lawyer and went to Venice and proved her worth in
the society through her. He has attempted to prove winning the case.
that a female character is capable enough to explore
Bassanio and Portia were taking preparation for
everywhere along with the judicial sector.
marriage, but at that time Bassanio heard that Antonio
failed to pay the due to Shylock in time and Shylock
In The Merchant of Venice, Portia is one of the most
was getting ready to cut off one pound of flesh
influential characters of Shakespeare. Here we see her
according to the contract. Being informed by
as a submissive and obedient daughter to her father.
Bassanio, Portia extended her helping hand to

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Antonio. Disguising herself as a young smart lawyer, When mercy seasons justice. (IV.1 l.185-194)
she pretended to be a man of law, and entered the
court of Venice where the prosecution was to be But Shylock refuses everything and became adamant
started. In this context, the comment of Jardine is to take the flesh. Portia also warned him that not
mentionable.: ``Portia is quite a self-assured woman showing any mercy may eventually lead to his own
who is aware of men’s usual tricks and who thinks damnation:
that she is intelligent enough to outsmart the men at Portia: That in the course of justice none of us
court’’ (Jardine, Lisa, 1996). The climax of the story
is noticed in the court of the Duke of Venice. Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy,
Bassanio offered Shylock six thousand ducats in lieu
of three thousand. But Shylock wanted to take one And that some prayer doth teach us all to render
pound of flesh only nothing else. Portia gave her
The deeds of mercy. (IV.1 l.196-199)
identity as Balthazar, a doctor of law, and she gave
the Duke a letter of recommendation from the reputed Portia wants to save Antonio's life. This is why, she
lawyer Bellerio. Portia, first of all, requested Shylock tries to convince Shylock about the matter very
to show mercy explaining that showing mercy is smartly with legal arguments. The court permitted
beneficial for the person who shows it as well as for Shylock to cut off one pound of flesh from any part of
the person who receives it: Antonio’s body. At that point, Portia came forward to
warn him that the contract allowed him one pound of
Portia: It is twice blest;
flesh only not any single drop of blood. If Shylock
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes. were to shed any drop of blood, his lands and goods
(IV.1 l.183-184) would be forfeited according to the Venetian laws.
She also told Shylock that he must cut just one pound
Yet she also revealed her very witty mind because she of flesh, no more or less than that. Shylock found no
is not only able to show feelings but she mainly uses ways to execute his contract. So he agreed to take six
clever reasoning to convince Shylock. In fact, she thousand ducats for the defaulted contract. But Portia
first pointed out that showing mercy would improve denied it as Shylock refused it in the open court. She
his reputation and secondly it would even elevate him also declared that Shylock’s property would be
to a God-like being: forfeited as he initiated to kill a man. Half of his
property would go to the Government and half to
Portia: It becomes Antonio. Portia is well informed about what she
The thronèd monarch better than his crown. should do to defend the accused. It is very clear in her
speech:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
Portia: This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood.
The attribute to awe and majesty,
The words expressly are ‘a pound of flesh’.
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
Take then thy bond. Take thou thy pound of flesh.
But mercy is above this sceptred sway.
But in the cutting it, if thou dost shed
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings;
One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods
It is an attribute to God himself,
Are by the laws of Venice confiscate
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
Unto the state of Venice. (IV.1 l.303-309)

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These words give the audience the impression that clever, coming from one we know to be a woman”
Portia will eventually be able to outsmart Shylock (Linda Rozmovits, 1995). G. K. Chesterton says: The
because it will be impossible for him to cut a pound whole point of her position is that she is a heroic and
of flesh out of Antonio without starting to bleed. She magnanimous fraud. She has not taken up the legal
definitely beats. Her cleverness is also found when profession, or any profession; she has not sought that
she expresses the following lines: public duty, or any public duty. Her action, from first
to last, is wholly and entirely private (Chesterton, G.
Portia: It is enacted in the laws of Venice, K, 1923). It is also worth mentioning the comment of
If it be proved against an alien Clara Claiborne Park: It is not surprising that Portia
alone among Shakespeare’s heroines is allowed to
That by direct or indirect attempts confront a man over matters outside the traditional
sphere of a woman and to win, not unlike Elizabeth
He seek the life of any citizen, (Park, Clara Claiborne, 1980). Jameson describes
Portia as a woman of intelligence. She sees a
The party ‘gainst the which he doth contrive
woman’s intellect as being magnified by “sympathies
Shall seize one half his goods; the other half and moral qualities” that, in her opinion, men don’t
possess in the same degree as women (Jameson, Anna
Comes to the privy coffer of the state, Brownell, 2012).
And the offender’s life lies in the mercy CONCLUSION:
Of the Duke only, ‘gainst all other voice - In The Merchant of Venice, the audience witnessed
Portia’s extraordinary wit. It may be pointed out that
In which predicament I say thou stand’st, an Elizabethan woman talked in such a manner as if
she exactly knew how the law of her society worked
For it appears by manifest proceeding
although women usually had no access to law at all.
That indirectly, and directly too, Portia’s ease in dealing with matters of law indicates
her immense intelligence and good education. In this
Thou hast contrived against the very life context, we can mention the comment of Stretton: In
Elizabethan times, pleading by women, was not
Of the defendant, and thou hast incurred
permitted in any legal setting. Women could be
The danger formerly by me rehearsed. litigants but they could not be judges, jurors or
lawyers. Along with heretics, excommunicants and
Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the Duke. criminals, no woman could plead on behalf of
(IV.1 l.345-360) someone else before a judge . Yet, it has been
possible because of Portia’s immense wits and
The fact that Portia makes Shylock lose all his money
absolute power.
and forces him to convert to Christianity hurts him
significantly. At this instant Portia experiences a real ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
success because she makes Shylock suffer badly and
We would like to thank those who work on this topic
simultaneously she manages to save. Antonio’s life.
of the research study to complete successfully.
By this great and auspicious job, Portia managed to
alter her entire personality. This success proves that CONFLICT OF INTERESTS:
she is still superior to her male counterparts.
The authors declared there are no conflict of interest
T. Duff Barnett argues that Portia “breaks through the to publish the present research study.
law by a quibble, which strikes us as being rather

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Citation: Hossain MA. and Akter MS. (2020). A judicial exploration of portia in The Merchant of Venice: a
critical study, Asian J. Soc. Sci. Leg. Stud., 2(4), 71-75. https://doi.org/10.34104/ajssls.020.071075

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