Throughout A Patriarchal History, Some Bright Women Have

Throughout a patriarchal history, some bright women have been able to push through and make groundbreaking changes for the future. Although many people believe that Venice is a male dominated society in William Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice, if one reads closely he/she will discover that most of the major decisions, that affected the route of the play, were originally made by women. In her essay, Christine Hoff Kraemer writes, with a feminist approach, about women in this play and their role in power. Two main female characters, Portia: a wealthy and witty daughter bound to her deceased father’s demand of marriage, and Jessica: the Jewish daughter of the main character/ antagonist Shylock, although are originally controlled by†¦show more content†¦Although she is ultimately forced by her late father’s wishes to let him choose the casket that decides her fate in marriage, Morocco chooses the golden casket based on his idea that he deserves an d desires Portia (2.7.39-40). By choosing this casket, he proves that he behaves exactly how Portia predicted, which is that he only thinks conceitedly about the outer appearance of everything in order to impress others. In another case, while the man she truly wanted to marry, Bassanio, took his chance of choosing the correct casket, she psychologically manipulated him into choosing the right casket by ordering one of her servants to sing a song where each bar ended in words, such as bred, nourished, and head (3.2.64-66), that rhymed with lead. Ultimately, she chose who she wanted to marry through loopholes in her father’s dying wish which was something that she would not have been able to do being a woman. Portia does not only have the power of manipulation, she also has the desireable factor of immense wealth. When she uncovered what would happen to Antonio, Bassanio’s best friend, if he did not pay the debt he owed Shylock, she scoffed at the fact that he â€Å"merely† owed Shylock 3,000 ducats. She easily told him to double the price or even triple it to satisfy Shylock’s needs and let Antonio live (3.2.306-307). Although through marriage she gives ownership of her properties and valuables to Bassanio, she still retains the management of herShow MoreRelatedGender, Social, And Social Sciences And Humanities995 Words   |  4 PagesSex is pretty so concrete, for the most part, unless you are born with some rare genetic sex chromosomal disorder. Gender, it, well can be harder to determine. Gender is merely the state of being male or female. Like with the states of water, the state of being male or female, can be manipulated or changed. With each gender comes certa in gender roles. These roles are to help accentuate one s sex to society. Gender roles have been around for centuries. The greatest thing we notice, when it comesRead MoreRelationship Between Emma Woodhouse And George Knightley1089 Words   |  5 Pagesand the expectation of women from certain wealthy families. 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