Merchant of Venice blog #1

Through Portia's judging of her suitors, what do we discover about her? Explain your answer using evidence from the text.

I don't think that Portia really wants to marry any man. When Nerissa questions Portia about her suitors, Portia has to find something wrong about every one of them. Portia makes the smallest things that the suitors have done "wrong" sound like terrible things. Portia criticizes the Neopolitan prince for liking his horse to much, the Palatine count for being too serious, the Englishman for not knowing any of the languages Portia speaks "You know I say nothing to him, for he understands not me, nor I him. He hath neither Latin, French nor Italian;"(23) Portia also criticizes the German suitor for his drunkness "Very viley in the morning, when he is sober, and most viley in the afternoon when he is drunk."(25) All of the things Portia has criticized her suitors for are very minor. I think that Portia is purposly trying to find every small excuse why she should not marry the suitors, because she does not want to marry anyone at all. I think that if Portia really did want to marry a suitor, or anyone, she would not be making so many excuses for why the suitors would not make good husbands.