Antonio. Thus, Portia is declaring that saving Antonio from Shylock’s cruelty is certainly worth the money that she has made available to Bassanio.
Portia then asks Lorenzo to take care of her estate while she goes away for a brief time. She tells Lorenzo that she and Nerissa are going to a monastery to pray until Bassanio and Graziano safely return. However, this is not true. Actually, Portia and Nerissa intend to disguise themselves as men and go to Venice in order to help Bassanio in the rescue ofAntonio.
Privately to Nerissa, Portia jokes that she will be a more attractive man than Nerissa. Portia also looks forward to boasting and bragging (like many men do) about how “he” caused many fine ladies to fall in love with him; but, because he rejected all of them, “they fell sick and died” (71). Thehumor, though, is just a cover for the extremely serious business that Portia has in mind. Despite having been honor-bound to fulfill the rather odd request in her father’s will, Portia is an extremely intelligent and clever woman who is capable of taking many serious matters into her own hands. In fact, she is shrewder and more capable than the men in this play. However, during the time of the Renaissance, affairs of business and state were controlled mostlybymen. Portia is well aware that the only way to be successful in the world of men is to become a man herself. And, so, even though Portia apparently accepted the role offatein regards to her marriage and choice of husband, at this point in the play Portia takescharge