“My Little Body is Aweary of this Great World”: The Decline of Portia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although her role is the fourth largest female part in the Shakespeare canon and the largest role in The Merchant of Venice, Portia has been consistently under-represented in the twenty-first century both creatively and critically. This article aims to understand the decline of Portia from Victorian icon to Post-Modern cypher and argues that her shifting fortunes are directly linked to the challenges and societal change brought about by feminism. While considering all genres, the article makes specific reference to novelizations of Merchant by Mary Cowden Clarke, Alan Isler, Erica Jong, Grace Tiffany, and Howard Jacobson for supporting evidence. Focusing on what is not being adapted and why, Portia’s neglect is something that begs analysis whilst offering great scope for re-appraisal in the era of fourth-wave feminism.