Portia (The Merchant of Venice) Portia (The Merchant of Venice) Portia is the protagonist of William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice". A rich, beautiful, and intelligent heiress of Belmont, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential suitors the chance to choose among three caskets. If he chooses the right casket, he wins Portia's hand in marriage. If he chooses the incorrect casket, he must leave and never seek another woman in marriage. She is said to be blonde and has curly hair. As Bassanio says to Antonio in (Act I scene I), she is more beautiful than
Shylock (play) Merchant of Venice"), was translated for a production in Denmark and has been staged twice by the original actor, Berner, in Venice. The play focuses on a Jewish actor named Jon Davies, who is featured as Shylock in a production of Shakespeare’s "The Merchant of Venice". Jon addresses his audience at a “talk back” session, after the play is closed abruptly due to controversy over the play’s alleged antisemitism. Davies is portrayed both in and out of character, presenting and stripping down the layers between character and actor. In the comedy "The Merchant of Venice", the character of Shylock lends