Portia (The Merchant of Venice) original Portia Shakespeare drew from was Porcia Catonis, the wife of the Roman statesman Brutus. She was also compared to the wife of Brutus within the play in Act 1 scene 1 when Bassanio talks to Antonio. The strength of the role of Portia has made it attractive to many notable actresses. Frances Abington, Sarah Siddons and Elizabeth Whitlock all played Portia in the 18th century when actresses first started appearing on stage in performances of the play. More recently, the role has been depicted in the cinema and on television by a number of notable actresses such as Maggie
The Merchant of Venice (1961 film) The Merchant of Venice (1961 film) The Merchant of Venice is a 1961 Australian TV adaptation of the play by William Shakespeare. The "Sydney Morning Herald" called it "the most important television play of the year. and among Sydney's actresses the role of Portia was the most sought after." It went to the relatively inexperienced Tanya Halesworth who was a presented at the ABC. Director Alan Burke said he saw Portia "as a beautiful debutante, the darling of the deb set of her day. I wanted a beautiful girl for the role, one with wit, astuteness, vivacity; but one with