Portia s Speech From Act 3 Scene 2 Of William Shakespeare...

Portia’s speech from Act 3 scene 2 of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, not only directly targets the sex and gender system of Elizabethan England, but also highlights on a number of major themes of the play such as; the law, finances, gender roles and indeed the reversal of. It also takes the somewhat ambiguous title of the play and creates a â€Å"mercantile metaphor† which can be seen projected through Portia throughout this speech. From the outset the language contains embedded references to Portia’s financial wealth, which is at first glance masked by perhaps having sexual connotations. For instance the rhetorical statement â€Å"You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand, Such as I am† could be seen as Portia presenting herself and her body to her new husband Bassanio in a suggestive manner however, â€Å"such as I am† could be interpreted in monetary value. What she represents is a large dowry as left by her farther- which Bassanio has now won by choosing the right casket in the previous scene-and now she is married to him, she not only exchanges herself but her finances also which in itself contains an essence of a mercantile exchange. This thread of financial discourse continues to be trend, for only three lines later Portia’s language becomes increasingly numerical, â€Å"be trebled twenty times myself, a thousand times more fair, ten thousand times more rich† it appears as if this is done purposely, suggesting this numerical language is the language of men. For instance in Venice,Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice2269 Words   |  10 PagesSamantha Hansen ENG 314 Brother Brugger 12.15.14 The Question of Shylock It is hard to read The Merchant of Venice without finding at least one character to sympathize with. The unforgettable villain Shylock as well as Portia, Shakespeare’s first and one of his most famous heroines are arguably some of this plays most beloved characters. But, is Shylock really the villain? Or is he a victim of circumstance? Shylock’s insistence for a pound of flesh has made him one of literatures most memorable