Shakespeare’s Portia: A Feminist Icon but Figure of Hierarchy

In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Portia achieves a level of agency that few Shakespearean women do with her wealth and wit despite having to conform to her father’s wishes for her marriage with the casket test. Through dressing as a man during Antonio’s trial, Portia even assumes a physical appearance that reflects her skill in gaining influence and gives her more power over the men. Because of her ability to assert control in her home and the courtroom, literary critics often present Portia as a feminist icon. However, Portia restricts other characters like the Prince of Morocco and Shylock in the same way that the men in the play restrict her. She does not stop the cycle of abuse but simply becomes the oppressor instead of the victim–a fact that many critics hint at but often fail to analyze further. In analyzing Portia's agency as the product of discrimination in this article, I recognize that Portia’s character illustrates the way one subjugated character can gain power over her oppressors by subjugating others, and while Portia rightfully remains a hero for many of the characters, audience members, and literary critics as a woman who gains agency, she manipulates hierarchies to suit her needs.