“When we are both accoutred like young men I’ll prove the prettier fellow of the two, And wear my dagger with the braver grace, And speak between the change of man and boy With a reed voice, and turn two mincing steps Into a manly stride;” (III.v.63-68).
Portia’s plan, clearly premeditated, illustrates her desire to tap into her veiled, true character. Usually, when people assume another identity, the identity serves as a costume, as something other than the truth. However, Portia’s assuming the role of her cousin, Doctor Bellario, is the identity that enables her to express her authentic persona, which is otherwise suppressed throughout The Merchant of Venice. Her use of juxtaposition, “braver grace” and “manly strides” instead of “mincing steps,” contrasts the feminine character she routinely assumes in order to conceal her true more masculine identity, which is one that desires to be outspoken, clever, brave, and in control.
Mary--I like the way you are thinking here. You turn the notion of costuming on its head, in a way, in pointing out that rather than a disguise, Portia's dress will function as an assertion of true selfhood. What kind of statement does this make about the world of the play? About Shakespeare's world?
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