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And wear my dagger with the braver grace,° 31 / bolder sway
And speak a vocal pitch° that comes between / reed-like voice / piping voice
32
The change from boy to man; and I will turn
Two mincing° steps into a manly stride, / dainty
And speak of brawls° like a fine, bragging youth; {frays} / fights
And tell concocted° lies, how noble ladies {quaint} / fantastic / ingenious / far-fetchèd
Did seek my love which, upon my denial,° / when it was denied
33 34
Led them to grave illness and death by heartbreak—
35
I could not do them all.° Then I’ll repent {do withal} / help it / do otherwise
36
And wish for all that my charm had not killed them.
And I’ll tell twenty of these puny° lies, 37 / empty / brainless
That men shall swear I had dropped out of° school {have discontinued}
38
Aft’ but one year.° I have within my mind {Above a twelvemonth}
A thousand raw° tricks of these bragging Jacks° boys / youths
Which I will use.° 39 {practice} / put to use

—Nerissa Why, shall we turn to men? 40

—Portia
Fie, what a question that is!° +Shall we turn / lewd question!

31. The brave wearing of one’s dagger (or sword) can be seen as a phallic symbol, and a symbol of one’s manhood.
32. {And speak between the change of man and boy | With a reed voice} Xxx
/ And speak a piping voice that comes between | The change from boy to man; and turn two mincing | Steps to a
manly stride.
33. / They fell to sickness and died of heartbreak
34. And show the piping voice of some younker° / fair youth
Not yet a man; and turn two mincing steps
Into a manly stride; and speak of brawls
Like a fine, bragging youth; and tell quaint lies
How noble ladies sought my manly love
Which, I denying, they° fell sick and died. / Which, when denied, they soon
35. {I could not do withal} I could not do anything about it; I could not help it. Pun on the word do—I could not do
(make love with) them all, thus suggesting that the woman he could not (or would not) make love with, fell sick and
died of heartbreak.
36. {And wish for all that, that I had not killed them}
/ And wish my darling° had not killed them so. / mantrap / beauty / charming
for all that: for having refused them / for all the actions which were beyond my control / “in spite of that — that
I could not prevent their dying.” (Kit)
37. {And twenty of these puny lies I’ll tell}
38. {Above a twelvemonth. I have within my mind} / More than a year ago. I have in mind
above a twelvemonth: a) after one year, b) more than a year ago, above a year
39. These lines uttered by Portia show a total embrace of her assumed role as a man. It is clear that Portia is not
going to carry out any of the manly behavior she brags about, nor would she have any need, nor reason, nor time to
carry out such acts, despite (I have within my mind | A thousand raw tricks of these bragging Jacks | Which I will
practice. [3.4.76-78]) Her staid legal garb, and its corresponding manner, are going to show her more like a
seasoned man—somewhat reserved and asexual—rather than the rowdy youth she is describing. What we see here is
Portia’s willingness to embrace this male role (and come full out of her docile romantic princess mode), which is a
metaphor for her leaving the fairy-tale world of Belmont and coming into the thick of the Venetian world. In this
description, as in 1.2, we see her mocking men and their ways. Portia’s ready acceptance of her male role (even
more so than is required) is in full contrast to Jessica’s embarrassment and ‘shame’ at having to simply dress up as a
boy—and make a clandestine escape.
40. turn to men: Nerissa surmises that as part of the plan that they will “turn into men” (disguise themselves as
men); Portia then plays upon another possible meaning, suggesting that (if she interpreted Nerissa’s meaning ina
lewd way) she might think Nerissa is suggesting that they turn to, or approach, men for sexual satisfaction.