Several people have asked me who Portia is. Portia is quite possibly my favorite Shakespearean character. She exists in the play Merchant of Venice, which is a phenomenal story from which lines are still quoted. She is a more typical Shakespearean heroine, and I love how he wrote his heroines.
It's difficult to give her background in few words, but I'll try. Portia is a free-spirited, young woman bound my her father's dying wishes for her marriage. While she is more of an independant thinker, she remains loyal to her father's careful stipulations. Soon, she falls in love and finds a way to make it work under her father's guidelines. At this point in the story, we see how truly resourceful and quick she is.
She proves quite skillful in the area of argument as well, encouraging greater adherence to the spirit of the law as opposed to the letter. Her arguments in court are fabulous and she become responsible for saving a man's life. She makes the law work for her.
If it's possible to have a literary role model, she'd be mine. She's gracious and just. I love that.
So, that's Portia in a nutshell. And the reason for the name of this blog. We need more modern-day Portias.
I would strongly encourage you to read the play and/or watch it to get the whole story. I'm sure you'd recognize where many of our phrases come from.
Bye for now!
Me
