Page 145 - William_Shakespeare_-_The_Merchant_of_Venice_191

Give me your hand. Come you from old Bellario?

—Portia
I did,° my lord. / I do / I have

—Duke You’re welcome. Take your place.
Are you acquainted with the grave dispute° {difference} / disagreement
That holds this present question° in the court? 79 / matter / issue

—Portia
I am informed thoroughly of the case.° 80 / informed with respect to the cause
Which is the merchant here, and which the Jew? 81

—Duke
Antonio and old Shylock, both step forward.° 82 {stand forth}.

—Portia
Is your name Shylock?

—Shylock Shylock is my name.

—Portia
Of a strange nature is the suit you follow
Yet in such ruling,° the Venetian law 83 / matters
84
Cannot impugn° you as you do proceed. / oppose / o’erturn / dissuade
[to Antonio]

79. / That occupies the question now in court?
80. Portia, being well-informed as to the present matter (and the law governing it), suggests that she met with
Bellario, rather that thoroughly educating herself in all nuance of Venetian law. Yet, such a meeting is not indicated
in the original. Two possibilities thus exist: a) that Balthazar reviewed the matter and took the time to write out an
opinion for Portia, along with his letter of recommendation to the Duke, or b) Portia changed her plans midstream
and decided it would be best to visit Balthazar in person, in Padua.
81. This action demonstrates Portia’s impartiality—rather than being a ploy, a rouse, or some kind of indulgence.
Though Portia is likely to know which is Antonio and which is Shylock—through a difference in appearance and
dress—with this opening question she demonstrates the true impartial qualities of a judge and makes it known that
she is entering into the case without any assumptions, prejudices, or preconceptions. Questioning even that which is
most obvious testifies to her impartiality. In some productions, the courtroom is crowded, and she has reason to ask
this question. In other productions the difference in appearance between Antonio and Shylock is not so obvious and,
thus, she is prompted to ask this question. In other cases the difference is obvious and apparent, and Portia already
knows the answer to her question before she asks.
82. It is possible, that this could be read as part of a stage direction, rather than a directive from the Duke.
83. / Yet, in such rule, the Venetian edicts
84. / Cannot oppose the course you choose to follow
In terms of reason (and the reason as to why Portia intervened in the first place) what possible interest could
Portia have in preserving Venetian law over the life of her husband’s dear friend? Why did she intervene in the first
place?—to uphold Venetian law or bend the law to save Antonio? Surely, at this point, her best course would be to
seek to have the case dismissed, or call on the Duke to dismiss it (as he stated he had the power to do). Her
continued defense of the Venetian law—which bodes against Antonio’s position—apart from purely dramatic
reasons—must be seen as part of her overall stratagem. Rather than trying to deliver Antonio, she is also setting up a
test for Shylock and Bassanio. For Portia to play this card (which goes against her intended position) we must
assume that she is in total control of the case (and its outcome) from the onset. In other words, she is well aware
that she can stop Shylock (at any time), if he does not willingly drop the case against Antonio.