The Lone Heroine

Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” portrays a woman, Portia, as the hero of the play. Shakespeare’s comedy takes place in 16th century Europe, and shows faltering men amidst a woman disguised as a man, Portia. The irony is that Portia, like all women at the time, were viewed as inferior to men and could not take place in mainstream business, yet alone save a man’s life, Antonio, in a heated courtroom battle. Dressed as a man in a courtroom battle, she is the key to victory for Antonio and friends. She decisively and cleverly realizes that the bond in question requires one pound of flesh as payment if the bond is not paid in full on time. But with flesh comes blood, and blood in the laws of Venice counts as murder, and therefore the bond is nullified in court. But through her aggressive tactics and strong will she reverses the punishment inflicted upon Antonio over to Shylock, which must pay a hefty sum of wealth because of this illegal bond. The court grants her re...