At First Glance

In Merchant of Venice one of the most distinctive characters that surprises the readers at the end of the play is Portia. She is most surprising due to the fact that she is first introduced in the play as being some sort of prize that the male figures compete for because she is wealthy and beautiful. No one regards her as being a threat or smart enough to cause trouble because her full potential is not revealed yet. But she is indeed resourceful and can sometimes come off as being a free spirit who abides rigidly by rules when in reality she seems to be almost a prisoner in her own home. But as the play goes on Portia’s character changes for the better and we come to realize that she isn't afraid of breaking the rules. Only difference is that she is smart enough to make the law work for her and is still able to get away with her actions.

          Portia reminds me very much of Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games movie because in this film we are seeing a new type of heroine who defies gender stereotypes in cinema. She is not a victim, nor is she passive or cold. She takes action, and is compassionate yet still strong and takes care of her own. We start noticing her as this girl who pretty much has to take care of the ones she loves and is good with a bow but as the movie goes on we come to realize that she has amazing hidden skills which is what helps her survive the games.

In terms of romantic interests. She also has guys chasing after her just like Portia’s suitors. But only difference is that both guys chasing Katniss love her whereas Portia’s suitors just wanted to take advantage of her. Katniss is eventually caught having to choose between her best friend from home, Gale, and another contestant in the games with her, Peta. Overall both women are independent and make it very clear that they don’t need a male figure in their life to take care of them. These women take charge of the relationship and are fearless.

The Power of the Conditional

At the conclusion of As You Like It, Rosalind (as Ganymede) neatly resolves every issue of homoerotic desire that has arisen throughout the tangled lovelines of the play. She has to fix the "problems" of this queer desire and potential queer marriage plot, and the way in which she manages this feat is incredibly similar to Portia's solution in The Merchant of Venice.

Terrible disguise aside, Portia's plot serves her well.

In her plot, Portia uses a strict interpretation of language to force Shylock into sparing Antonio, telling him that "this bond doth give [him] here no jot of blood; / the words expressly are 'a pound of flesh.'." (Merchant of Venice 4.1.306-07). She traps him with the language of the deal, interpreting each clause literally in order to accomplish her goal. It is only when in drag that she is able to exert her power, but what a power that is. Portia's command of language transcends that of anyone else in the play, and she is able to trap Shylock into doing what she wants him to do. Portia's rhetoric is just as powerful as that of any of the lawyers and other men in the play.

Rosalind's plan parallels Portia's almost exactly. She also disguises herself in drag, though her persona Ganymede is much more central to the story than Portia's false identity. Having hidden her female identity, in which her agency would be much more limited, Rosalind is now free to work out a deal. She also makes great use of the conditional here; she traps the duke by getting him to agree that "if [she] bring in [his] Rosalind / [he] will bestow her on Orlando here" (As You Like It 5.4.6-7). Phoebe agrees to marry Ganymede only "if [he] be willing" (AYLI 5.4.11) and that otherwise she will marry Silvius. Her conditionals continue until everyone is trapped into a marriage that abides by the heterosexual norms. In other words, she tricks them into renouncing the queer desire that has permeated the play up to this point.

Don't worry, Orlando: no homo.

In drag, these women are able to fully employ powerful rhetoric and achieve their ends. Though both women clearly have a strong command of language and understand how to use it, their true agency only comes through when in drag. This gender-bending makes a statement about the power dynamics at the time; women lacked only the recognition for their skills, not the intelligence. Both women also demonstrate the overwhelming power of language; each is able to use the conditional and a literal interpretation of contracts in order to achieve their goals. Through this expert use of rhetoric, both women resolve all the issues in their respective plays, saving the day with their wit.

Cross Dressing Women

Out of the plays we have read so far, Shakespeare continually questions gender roles and politics. Within The Merchant of Venice, Portia is introduced as a desirable woman before we even meet her.

Portia’s wealth makes her an immediate meal ticket for Bassanio, and she immediately takes on the masculine quality of being in power or control because of this wealth.

When Portia cross-dresses as a lawyer and saves Antonio’s life during the big trial scene she also crosses the gender lines (quite literally) and not only is she clever enough to save Bassanio’s BFF (or possible lover?) she also makes it so both men owe her big time.

Portia maintains these male traits when she tricks Bassanio into giving her the ring (the one she made him promise to never part from) In doing this, Portia is able to regain agency within the limited circumstances that her father left for her to live in. She basically tells Bassanio that he better not fuck up again, and that she can do presumably whatever she wants. By the end of the play, Portia has successfully tricked the men into believing she was a male judge, and she outsmarts everyone and winds up on top. 

After Portia, Shakespeare gives us Rosalind in As You Like It. Rosalind takes cross dressing to an even greater level than Portia does. Not only does Rosalind cross dress as Ganymede, she causes all sorts of a  cluster fuck of relationships that cannot possibly work. Rosalind is an interesting character because she not only breaks the hetero-normative status of women, but she also breaks the traditional homoerotic relationships as well. The younger partner is supposed to be the more receptive one, but Ganymede controls the relationship with Orlando.

Finally, Shakespeare destroys all boundaries between men in women in  The Merchant of Venice. Viola, the main female character uses cross dressing as a way to get what she wants as well.  Instead of discussing the play itself, I want to discuss the plays modern day portrayal of  The Twelfth Knight She’s The Man. This movie maintains similar character names and plots to the play. 

This movie was produced in 2006 and stars Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. Viola (the main female character) wants to play soccer for a school, but is rejected because she is a female. Viola conjures up a plan to take her brother Sebastian’s place at a boarding school so that he can go to London and perform with his band, and so she can play soccer. Though the stories are not exactly the same, a female is cross-dressing in order to get what she wants. Like Portia and Rosalind, Viola is willing to act as a man in order to attain the things she wants. 

At the end of the movie, Viola tells her team that she has been impersonating her brother and she convinces them of this by showing her breasts. Similar to Portia and how she was able to fool everyone, Viola successfully fooled her teammates into thinking she was a man, and is able to remain on the team at the end of the movie.

Just like Portia and Rosalind fooled their 'lovers', Viola (Sebastian) has fooled her roommate Duke who has met the actual Viola and has feelings for her.

Cross-dressing within all of these plays  allow  Portia, Rosalind, and Viola to carry out a role that they would be unable to do as women. Portia and Nerrissa can attend Antonio’s trial and set him free, Rosalind is able to marry the man she wants, and Viola (from the movie) is allowed the chance to play on a male soccer team. Before each of these women cross-dress they are only permitted to pray and hope for their causes, but the instant they are transformed into male characters, they can single-handedly help and get what they want.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofIzQbTGQ2E