Portia is the heroine of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

A rich, beautiful, and

intelligent heiress, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential
suitors the chance to choose between three caskets composed of gold, silver and lead. If they
choose the right casket – the casket containing Portia's portrait and a scroll– they win Portia's
hand in marriage. If they choose the wrong casket, they must leave and never seek another
woman in marriage. Portia is glad when two suitors, one driven by greed and another by vanity,
fail to choose correctly. She favours Bassanio, a young Venetian noble, but is not allowed to give
him any clues to assist in his choice. Later in the play, she disguises herself as a man, then
assumes the role of a lawyer's apprentice (named Balthazar) whereby she saves the life of
Bassanio's friend, Antonio, in court.

Portia is one of the most prominent and appealing of the heroines in Shakespeare's mature
romantic comedies. She is beautiful, gracious, rich, intelligent, and quick-witted, with high
standards for her potential romantic partners. She obeys her father's will, while steadfastly
seeking to obtain Bassanio. She demonstrates tact to the Princes of Morocco and Aragon, who
unsuccessfully seek her hand. In the court scenes, Portia finds a technicality in the bond, thereby
outwitting Shylock and saving Antonio's life when everyone else fails. It is Portia who
delivers one of the most famous speeches in The Merchant of Venice

Despite Portia's lack of formal legal training, she wins her case by referring to the details of the
exact language of the law. Her success involves prevailing on technicalities rather than the merits
of the situation. She uses the tactics of what is sometimes called a Philadelphia lawyer. However,
the concept of rhetoric and its abuse is also brought to light by Portia – highlighting the idea that
an unjust argument may win through eloquence, loopholes and technicalities, regardless of the
moral question at hand – and thus provoking the audience to consider that issue.