Merchant of Venice -A Feminist perspective

The critical feminism point of view investigates how women are portrayed in literature as well as the true meaning of the term. The roles that women play are set by society. The roles given to women in the play are also influenced by the era in which it is set. Shakespeare’s Elizabethan era, where societal standards oppress women, is where The Merchant of Venice is set. Jessica and Portia play the feminine roles. They serve as the play’s main characters. Because they were women, these characters were unable to forge powerful identities of their own (Abcarian, & Klotz, 1990).

Shakespeare uses a variety of techniques to reveal Portia’s personality in The Merchant of Venice. Portia has multiple personalities. It is impossible for one to judge if she is cruel or kind. She is sly and prejudiced and very caring at the same time. She judges other quickly based on first-time impressions and appearances. While discussing her traits for the desired suitor with Nerissa, she snobs and expresses the traits she doesn’t like them. She openly dislikes Jew.

If Jessica and Portia were granted an opportunity to display their abilities and skills, they would convincingly be strong women. They, however, had to hide their skills and abilities so that they would appease their counterparts, male. Their role in the play was to demonstrate what it looked and felt like to be a real Elizabethan woman (Secara, 2010). Over and over again, Portia and Jessica were depicted as mere objects owned by male characters in the play. They could never become powerful or shine if even they met and had all the abilities to.

In Maggi Ros’ “Life in Elizabethan England: A Compendium of Common Knowledge,” a woman was property in this society, Elizabethan. It also mentions that “Children are the property of their parents, and give them the respect a servant gives his master… Wives are the property of their husbands…Some women are more independent than others. However, every woman expects to be married, and to depend on her male relatives throughout her life.” Throughout the play, we see that Portia and Jessica fit seamlessly into the Elizabethan women description and requirements (Secara, 2010).

Jessica was owned by her father. His father, Shylock, cared less for his daughter since she was his property. When Jessica ran away with Lorenzo, her lover, to be married, his father only cared for her daughter had stolen money from him and that Lorenzo was a Christian. The reader sees this when Salanio mocks Shylock. The eloping showed Shylock’s source of pride. He was proudly Jew and nothing but death would come between him and his religion.

His tradition had been terminated since Jessica, his daughter, had run away to get married to a Christian. This for him was the utmost betrayal. She would never give birth to a Jewish heir. Money was the second most important thing for Shylock. He petitioned the law to condemn his daughter who had taken away with his hard earned money. He was not bothered nor affected by the loss of his daughter. He was infuriated by the money loss and lack of a Jewish heir. Unfortunately, Jessica’s worth was limited to property, a mere one at that.

Just like Jessica, Portia was bound to her father. When her father died, he left a will with a riddle in it. The caskets were three, made of silver, gold and lead. The man who would choose the casket with Portia’s image would instantly be her husband. If Portia failed to be loyal to her father, she could take any man for a husband. This, however, shows showed the power of male parents in the Elizabethan era. Portia did not disobey her father, even in the next life. She instead reluctantly accepted the riddle to be the decider, ultimate, in her love life and fate (Novy, 1981).

The other aspect of Elizabethan society, women were objects owned by their husbands after ownership was transferred to them by their fathers. Portia was wealthy and beautiful. These two aspects attracted a number of suitors. The suitor who would win her was assured of a set future and respected reputation. The Prince of Morocco was the first suitor to try his luck with the riddled caskets. He chose the golden casket. The casket inscriptions stated that whoever chose it would receive the desires of men (Bartky, 1990).

There is also prejudice between the Prince of Monaco and Portia. This prejudice is not religious. Portia is racially prejudiced. The Prince of Monaco asked Portia not to judge him on the complexion. He asked her to judge him on his values and principles. Unlucky for him, Portia was quick to judge people on appearances. She did not entertain the idea of marrying the prince. Despite the prince’s efforts to persuade and convince Portia otherwise, she failed to change her decision.

In choosing the golden casket, the Prince of Morocco showed his greediness. He wanted Portia for just one reason; her wealthy. Many more men chose the golden casket too. The Prince of Arragon was the second suitor. Unlike the Prince of Morocco, he chose the silver casket. They were both similarly superficial. For him, Portia was a free and assured ticket to wealth. He did not desire her because he cared for or loved her. He wanted the fortune and power that came with owning Portia and her estate. Women were perceived as prizes for men to flaunt and display. She had no true identity or value as a person (Novy, 1981).

Occasionally, women dressed up as men. This symbolises women suppression by male counterparts. Their true identities and abilities were masked by the male façade. The Elizabethan society did not give way for women to be successful in any area other than motherhood and/or wifehood. Feeling the suppression pressure, Jessica began rebelling her father’s strict rules. She took extreme precautions to elope with Lorenzo. Her character should have been empowered after running away from her father. In fact, it wasn’t. She pretended to be a pageboy. This shed any female empowerment feeling that should have been brought by the eloping act. She was daring in a male costume showing that only men had the power to be strong or rebel.

Nerissa and Portia dressed up as a clerk and lawyer, respectively, went to defend Antonio in Venice. Her intellectual skill was on display when she executed, effectively, Antonio’s defence. Portia exploited her intelligence and wit and managed to turn tables in the case where evidence against her client was abundant. She made Shylock the victim. She was aware that Shylock had every power and right to freshly cut Antonio. Actually, Shylock was given the right by the law.

She was also familiar with Venetian law, which stated that an attempt for the life of a Venice citizen, the property of the perpetrator would be confiscated. This intelligent turn of events affected the case greatly. Antonio was officially unhooked and Shylock was now the victim (Neely, 1981). She played the role, lawyer, brilliantly. Everyone in the courtroom noticed this brilliance and wit. Antonio was unfortunate since the popular mercy speech was made by a woman who had disguised herself as a male lawyer.

Portia’s intelligence would have never been witnessed hadn’t she disguised herself as a man. In the Elizabethan period, women’s intelligence was unfathomable. Shakespeare’s society undermined women greatly. This was evident in The Merchant of Venice through the critical feminist discourse (Neely, 1981). Society concepts forced Portia and Jessica to hide their talents and abilities. If they dared show their true identities, their mold of a proper woman would be broken. This was unthinkable. Jessica and Portia were both property of their male guardians and they would not free themselves from the ownership.

For her wealth and beauty, man desired Portia greatly. They should have wanted her because she was intelligent and had a great personality. The inner values of women were worthless; only their material value mattered. Both women had to disguise themselves to show the power they had and their independence. In the play, the female characters were inferior to their counterparts only because the Elizabethan society wanted so (Neely, 1981).

Portia is viewed and praised as a feminist in a society dominated by men. The opposite view, however, is arguable. Her most noticeable moment as an intelligent, successful, rational female is in the courtroom. In this part, Portia has disguised herself as male. What successful moment for feminine wile and wit it would have been if it was transformed to the opposite sex. For her to speak in court, she must wear a masculine cloak, which is very clear. Portia attempts to fix problems of men that they have failed to fix, without credit in a court system that didn’t permit female lawyers and an education system that did not allow them to learn.

Is she a feminist? She is calculating and shrewd and fails to display characteristics similar to those of other women in Shakespeare. It is challenging to call her a feminist simply because her destiny is controlled by a patriarchal system and she opts to manipulate the system that suppresses her for her own interest rather than fighting it.

Maybe Portia could be called a radical feminist. Angela Caravella defines a radical feminist as a person who believes that their suppression and oppression is based solely on gender and their inferior depiction. She, Portia, calls herself a master of her servants and a lord instead of a mistress and lady, comprehending the gender differences. Portia understands that she cannot control and manage the house being a lady, assuming lordship remains. Portia has been in control since the death of her father- and for her to be in control, she must be the master of her servants (Novy, 1981). Portia is only radical because she understands that her gender is the cause of oppression. Portia does not represent an individual trying to defy social norms and promote the female cause; she rather attempts to fight her personal oppressions.

References

Abcarian, R., & Klotz, M. (1990). Literature: The Human Experience. New York: St.

Bartky, S. L. (1990). Femininity and domination: Studies in the phenomenology of oppression. Psychology Press.

Neely, C. T. (1981). Feminist modes of Shakespearean criticism: Compensatory, justificatory, and transformational. Women’s Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 9(1), 3-15.

Novy, M. (1981). Demythologizing Shakespeare. Women’s Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 9(1), 17-27.

Secara, M. P. (2010). Life in Elizabethan England: A Compendium of Common Knowledge. Maggie Pierce Secara.