The Merchant Of Venice . In The Merchant Of Venice, Written

The Merchant of Venice In The Merchant of Venice, written by William Shakespeare is a play that only has three female characters. They are Portia, Nerissa, and Jessica. Portia is a woman who was in search of a husband, who her father had to agree with. Unfortunately, Portia s father had passed, so he left a test for Portia s suitors to pass in order for one of them to marry his daughter. These women are not bad women, they are rebellious and brave but they are not bad people. I also found some similarities of the three females with our modern times. Portia is a rich heiress, who in most of the play, is very unhappy and depressed. At the beginning of the play, she is not in a very happy place. She had to welcome men into her†¦show more content†¦I ll hold thee any wager, when we are both accoutred like young men, I ll prove the prettier fellow of the two, and wear my dagger with the braver grace, and speak between the change of a man and a boy with a reed voice, and turn two mincing steps in to a manly stride, and speak of frays like fine bragging youth; and tell quaint lies how honourable ladies sought my love, which I denying, they fell sick and died; I could not do withal;†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.† (Act III, iv, 62-74). In this quote, Portia is exclaiming to Nerissa that they will dress up as men. It’s a good example because it shows how Portia gets rebellious and how she does whatever she wants. Nerissa is one of Portia s friends, she would help Portia decide on all the suitors that were arriving at the castle. She was also her waiting-maid. Nerissa was Portia s best friend. In the enlightenment century mistress and servants didn t have a relationship like Portia and Nerissa did. During the enlightenment, servants would be treated differently. For instance, their job was to make their mistress s bed, to go get them coffee, and several other things. They were not allowed to be their mistress s friend. It was mostly for them to have a very distinct relationship. But instead, Nerissa and Portia had a special bond together. Since Nerissa and Portia were really good friends they would do things together. For instance, she and Portia were going to dress as men so they could go and help theirShow MoreRelatedA Study of Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice Essay1540 Words   |  7 PagesA Study of Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice ‘The Merchant of Venice’ was written by Shakespeare in 1596 and appeals to both audiences of comedy and tragedy. The play features anti-Semitism which is a response to 1500’s Britain as well as other literature of the time. 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