Portia is an anomaly to the women of her times.

Unlike other women of her times, Portia is portrayed by Shakespeare as intellectually capable
and less influenced/guided by the clear-cut gender stereotype back then.
Portias high intellectual abilities set her apart from the rest. This is evident in the court scene,
where Portia fought against Shylock, attempting to save Antonio from his death. But in the
cutting of it, if thou shalt dost shed one drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods are by the
laws of Venice confiscate unto the state of Venice. This shows that Portia was quick to find
loopholes in the bond, which Shylock insists to be followed exactly the way it has been written,
and use it against him. It is enacted in the laws of Venice, if it be proven against an alien that by
direct or indirect attempts he seek the life of any citizen, the party gainst the which he doth
contrive shall seize one half his goods, the other half comes to the privy coffer of the state, and
the offenders life lies in the mercy of the duke only, gainst all other voice. This explains that
Portia is knowledgeable and extremely familiar with the Venetian law, which allowed for her
astute manipulation of the law. Portia was hence able to save Antonio from his imminent death,
and utterly ruins Shylock. This feat would be otherwise unattainable by the male character in the
play, thus enforcing the idea that Portia is a woman of high intellectual abilities, even more than
the male characters, even though men were supposed to be superior to women. Therefore,
Portias intuitive ability to manipulate laws to her advantage shows that she is intellectually
capable, making her an anomaly to other women of her times.
Portias disconformity to the explicit gender stereotype during her times is another attribute of
her which distinguishes her from other women. In the text, she disguises herself as a man as
she needs to be present in the courtroom as a law clerk. This also means that she would have
to wear masculine attire, those which are only worn by men. However, Portia was only slightly or
not at all bothered to dress up as another gender in the public, an idea normally rejected by
other women back then. This explains that Portia was little influenced by the gender stereotype,
for she did not feel uneasy and awkward dressing up as someone considered to be superior to
herself. Therefore, Portias lack of conformity to gender stereotype was also what makes her
different from other women of her times.