Module 8: Act III, scene ii to line 178
How would you define Portia’s sense of self worth? Use at least one piece of evidence from each of her speeches (lines 1-24 and lines 153-178).
Keep using the usual instructions: your response (after you write it, copy and paste it into your portfolio) + two comments to your classmates by the end of the day on Wednesday. I'll come in and join the conversation as well...I've been leaving comments on blogs and your portfolio entries and they're all fantastic: keep up the good work!!
Keep using the usual instructions: your response (after you write it, copy and paste it into your portfolio) + two comments to your classmates by the end of the day on Wednesday. I'll come in and join the conversation as well...I've been leaving comments on blogs and your portfolio entries and they're all fantastic: keep up the good work!!
I would define Portia's sense self worth as unsure and lacking assurance. I also think deep down she knows she has power and worth and just has trouble realizing it, now that she is finding a husband. In her first speech she says, "They have o'erlooked me and divided me. One half of me is yours, the other half yours" (103). The math language like "divided" and "half" reveals that she feels like someone else has split her up without her consent and choice. "O'erlooked me" also shows that she may feel unnoticed, causing her to feel unworthy and objectified. Also, now that she has Bassanio she feels obligated to give all of her to him and loose some of her power and independence. In her second speech Portia says that everything she has "Is now converted. But now I was the lord of this fair mansion, master of my servants, Queen o'er myself; and even how, but now, This house, these servants, and this same myself are yours, my lord" (113). The word choice of "converted" shows that this is a turning point for her and Bassanio's power dynamic, and that her power and worth is going to him. Portia says that she "was" in charge of her house, servants, and self, and the past tense also emphasizes what she's giving up and that she feels like she's no longer fully in charge. Then she says that everything she has is now his proving that she's making this sacrifice for her relationship, and that by getting married she gives up a part of herself.
ReplyDelete-Bradley
like she is giving herself up to Bassanio
DeleteI really like and agree with how you talked about the math language and how the divided and half can relate to her consent and choice. And also really agree with how she now feels obligated to give Bassanio something which reminds me of Jessica and how she felt obligated to provide money in the relationship.
Delete-Zoe Lee
I also agree with this because you really analyzed how she felt she was being "divided" making her feel powerless and unable to do anything. I also like how you said that she felt the need to give up everything to Bassanio, even though they would share the household together.
Delete-James
DeleteI love how you connected her feeling divided with Portia's excitement for finally getting a husband: Bassanio. It really shows how she feels rushed to grab one before all her pieces are gone.I also like the idea of Portia's power being "converted" over to Bassanio. I hadn't thought of that before.
DeleteI agree...in some ways she's really confident, but she's been told by her father, through the test, that she can't be trusted to make the choice of her own husband, and now what power she did have (through material possessions) is about to be Bassanio's. This also sets up some interesting dynamics going forward...
DeleteI didn't even see that I used the same adjective as you! oops sorry . But yes, I totally agree and really like how you pointed out the power dynamic shift! The sacrifice is a really good point that I hadn't noticed before.
Delete-Meredith
I would define Portia's idea of her own self worth as hopeless and powerless, which is caused by the caskets and the idea of not being about to have control over her own future. This is shown when she is talking to Bassanio and says that "a maiden hath no tongue but thought” (8) Although on the surface it seems she is telling him that she can't tell him directly what the casket to pick, the reader can see that she, the "maiden", feels like that she has no say in anything, caused by her father, and that she can only have "thought," meaning that she has to keep everything to herself. She also says on line 64 that she can only "view the fight," showing that she can only look from afar when in reality she wants to be apart of the casket choosing and wants to be in control, adding to the feeling of helplessness because she feels like she can't control her future husband who will be with her for the rest of her life (64).
ReplyDelete-James
DeleteI feel like Portia overall lacks any sense of self worth. As we have seen, Portia is bonded to her father's decision to discover her 'worthy' husband. She is put in a powerless position in that she has little to no say in her father's riddle of caskets. The use of "a maiden hath no tongue but thought' sums this up. She can wish and think of what she wants, but cannot will it into existence. What she wants is besides the point of her honor to her father. Within her 'prison' she has lost her dignity and sense of worthiness to herself. She has been "divided" and both "halves" have been put up for grabs; in this case Bassanio is the recipient. And though she has blamed her father for her lonely
Deleteisolation, this "Fortune" has given her immunity, in that she has no rational fear of losing. In this, I see another potential area for which she can let her guard down in the realm of self-worthiness. She says "Let Fortune go to hell..not I."
-Torin
I like how "view the fight" highlights how she can only look from afar when really she wants to be part of the fight/the casket choosing. And how that connects back to how she is not in control and her desire for being able to choose her future.
Delete-Zoe Lee
Response to James
DeleteI like how you describe the side of Portia that wants to be in control and have power. It shows that she might have some confidence in herself, but she is unable to express what she wants because she has no say and is helpless.
-Pippa
Response to Torin
DeleteIt's cool how you compare Portia's palace with a prison and it really connects to the underlying problem of Portia feeling trapped and powerless. I like how you referenced how Portia feels divided and like parts of her are being stolen and she is running out of time to find a husband before they're all gone.
Response to James
DeleteI agree that Portia is hopeless and in somewhat in a way powerless. I love the evidence for "view the fight," and how you viewed that as her being away from reality and lacking power. Do you think that she does have limited power, bc she can give hints, or no power at all?
You're all doing a great job responding to this comment...the notes about the prison and viewing things from the sidelines are great...I'm excited for you all to see what's coming next since a lot of what you're saying about Portia's dilemmas continue to be something she grapples with, but she has some pretty great ways of dealing with it.
DeleteI think through all the tests Portia’s father has left for Portia’s potential husbands, Portia’s sense of self worth has changed and she now believes she belongs to a man. It is seen when she states that “they have o'erlooked me and divided me. One half of me is yours, the other half yours—Mine own, I would say. But if mine, then yours, and so all yours” (line 15-18). The word overlook shows how she has been treated as well as when she says I am yours, it shows that she does not really have a strong sense of self worth. It is seen that she is surrendering herself to Bassanio and giving herself to him as if she was something that could be owned. Furthermore, she also says that Bassanio was now “her lord, her governor, her king,” suggesting that he now owned her and could now be in charge of her (line 169). She also further gave up her mansion and servants to Bassanio which not only shows her weak sense of self worth, but also demonstrates what she thinks of the relationship between a man and a woman, as well as husband and wife.
ReplyDelete-Zoe Lee
I really like how you say that her sense of self-worth has changed with the test. I had not thought of her situation like that before. I also like the use of the word "surrender" to describe her giving up her wealth to Bassanio.
Delete-Pippa
I totally agree that her father's test made her sense of self worth go down and I like how you say that her self worth isn't very strong. I also like how you use the word "owned" to display the power dynamic between Portia and Bassanio and that she is getting weaker.
Delete-Bradley
Yes! The use of all those masculine nouns that you highlight and then "surrender" and "owned" are great points to make about Portia's sense of self: she has to have internalized some of what she's been told via her father's instructions and the overwhelmingly patriarchal society in which she lives. She also has to have some trust issues since every suitor who comes to try and marry her (Bassanio included) is probably motivated by her money more than anything else.
DeleteI think that Portia's sense of self worth is uncertain and self-deprecating. She is unsure of who she is and her worth, and it is clear that she only views herself for what she has, not what is within. When describing herself to Bassanio, Portia says that she is "an unlessoned girl, unschooled, unpracticed" (113). Based on the use of these negative words, Portia is stating that she feels uneducated and unimportant as a person. She believes that her defining quality is her wealth, showing that she thinks badly of herself. In Portia's speech, she says, "Myself and what is mine, to you and yours is now converted. But now I was the lord of this fair mansion, master of my servants, Queen o'er myself; and even now, but now, this house, these servants, and this same myself are yours, my lord's" (113). In this passage, Portia appears to be lost. Part of her identity lies with what she has because people always view her this way. Now that her "worth" is being sacrificed, she has lost her sense of identity and is choosing to hide behind Bassanio's, as she states that everything is "yours," referring to him. Throughout her speech, she uses words such as "converted" and "sum," which are transactional terms, to describe the gift of her wealth and power (113). These words make it seem as though marrying her is like inheriting an object. The objectification of Portia is common, and based on the use of these words, she seems to almost believe it to be true about herself. Additionally, as she is giving her wealth away to Bassanio, she is being submissive and almost giving away a part of herself. It is a big sacrifice on her part, and she appears to be saddened by it. However, the most tragic thing is that Portia does not have a strong sense of self-worth. Above all, now that her wealth belongs to Bassanio, she considers herself worthless.
ReplyDelete-Pippa Sims
I agree with the idea of Portia feeling unsure because she has seen all these suitors come by who want her, not because they want her but for her money o the recognition of being able to get her when no one else could. She also clearly feels like that by marrying Bassanio, she has to give up everything to him, even though she doesn't have to.
Delete-James
I love how you mention that she only views herself for her her material wealth and not who she is on the inside and that giving up this wealth would be giving up part of her identity. It's kinda ironic that her father made the test to find her a husband that chooses her for the right reasons and not for money, but she feels that so much of her identity is her wealth.
Delete-Bradley
Yes! What you say about the wealth overlaps with a comment I just left on Zoe's post above...I also like that Pippa is looking at the "unlessoned girl" quote: I always feel like that's so untrue of who Portia is, and I wonder why she says it. Is she doing that for Bassanio's benefit? Has she been told/taught that being an "unlessoned girl" is more attractive? Or does she not actually believe it even though she says it?
DeleteI also agree with how Portia judges herself through what she has and not her personality. This is also how Bassanio looks at her, which will probably make he sadder in the future.
Delete-Fer
I believe Portia's sense of self-worth is conflicted. I think she originally thought highly of herself due to money, but later realized that money won't define her forever, especially after she finds a husband. At this point in the story, I think she doesn't know her value and doesn't see herself as the beautiful princess she's depicted as, but rather sees herself as a desperate girl needing a man to help define her and tell her where she stands. This is depicted when she mentions: "one half of me is yours, the other half yours" (103, line 16). This shows that she doesn't value herself very highly compared to Bassanio and is willing to give him everything. This is partly because up until the point that Bassanio asks her for her permission to marry her (112, line 152) she felt powerless. This is shown when we are first introduced to her: we learn she is trapped in her dad's game with no real say in who she marries. Although this was probably her dads way of protecting her, it also restricted her from defining herself and restricted her power to "choose" (105, line 25) what she wanted. This is shown when Portia describes herself an an "unlessoned girl, unschooled, unpracticed" (113, line 163).These words show that she doesn't see herself with any value other than wealth. When Bassanio asked for her permission, it was the first time she felt she had power and it drew her even closer to Bassanio. It made her feel valued and appreciated: more than just a dollar sign. This is shown when she mentions: "I was the lord of this fair mansion, master of my servants, queen o'er myself" (113, lines 171-173). "Was" shows that before she saw value as money, but now she sees it as much more than that. Bassanio made her feel worth something and gave her back the power her dad hid from her.
ReplyDeleteGreat focus on the past tense, Daniel. I like the idea that Bassanio might actually be making her feel like she has worth more than her father did...is that in part because he says he won't believe that he has won the test until she confirms it? Thus giving her the power back? That leads to another interesting question that we'll come back to: do Bassanio's motivations change once he's actually really met Portia (and not just had "speechless messages" from her)?
DeleteI also really liked how you brought up how her self-worth has slowly decreased and isn't static. Her father is a reason for her feeling powerless.
Delete-Fer
I believe Portia's self worth is incapable. With the word choice of "put bars between the owners and their rights,(19) it shows the reader how Portia is incapable physically making us understand why she feels so incapable. Her father represents the prison. Her father is blocking/ making her future unknown. In a prison, there is no way to escape, and the same thing is occurring with Portia. She in incapable to escape the "bars" of her father, leading her direction unknown. Because of having no direction, it leads her to relying on others. This is shown with "commits itself to yours to be directed."(168) Like Jessica, she feels as if she needs a torchbearer to provide her the direction. In her case the direction is out of the prison, which is her father and her past. Both feel incapable and feel if they don't have a "torchbearer," there will be no direction.
ReplyDeleteNice job linking back to the "bars" of an earlier passage (was that the one you did for your Google Drawing?) and fabulous connection to Jessica as a torchbearer! I love the idea of Portia also looking for a guide...it will be interesting to see how she challenges this going forward, and how she may or may not return to that by the end of the play.
DeleteI didn't think about this that way! Very interesting to see how you see her as trapped and needing to provide. --Meredith
DeleteI didn't quite think about the "bars" part either, how you made the difference between emotional and physical worth was very interesting too!
DeleteI would describe Portia's self worth as unsure. She seems like in her heart, she knows that she is worth a lot and that she has a lot, but her lack of power and trust from her father makes her unsure about her true self worth. When, in parenthesis, Portia says, "And yet a maiden hath no tongue but thought," she is hinting at the frustration she has about not being able to have a choice and not being able to say what she means. (103 line 8) She feels like she is worth more than how the world views her, and that she is capable but not allowed to do simple things, such as speak her mind, and bigger things, such as pick her husband. On line 174-175, Portia states that the house, the servants and "this same myself / Are yours, my lord's." (113) She seems to be so easily handing out her worth and everything she owns, almost like she doesn't care a lot about these things.
ReplyDelete--Meredith
Deleteso if she knows her true worth but is unsure because her father makes her lack trust in anything including herself, why is she so picky? Also do you think she measures her self worth off of any factors?
DeleteI think portia lacks a sense of self worth due to the fact she has been made to rely on a man to choose a husband for her. By her father setting up these tests she is truly incapable of knowing her true worth because people who come to try a hand at these tests aren't just in it for the girl, usually they are also in it for the money factor and she knows it. she says on line 163, "unlessoned girl, unschooled, unpracticed" she is talking about herself in a quite non confident way. She feels un practiced which is similar to unlessoned, they both have the common factor of teaching, she is un taught therefore she feels useless. Without feeling as though she has any purpose, she must feel as though she has no use. This would make her self worth un existent because she doesn't feel like she's done anything ever and that no one likes her for her but for the money she has inherited instead.
ReplyDeleteI defiantly agree with how her self worth could be inexistent because she feels as is she has never done anything ever. Would you also think of her self worth as powerless, as she is lacking the power to do anything?
DeletePortia's sense of self-worth is very low since she knows she has no power in choosing who she marries and controls her riches; since she has no choice, Portia is desperately for a good husband like Bassanio. When Bassanio arrives at her place, Portia says, "I pray you tarry pause a day or two before you hazard, for in choosing wrong I lose your company"(103) Portia is doing all she can do to ensure Bassanio chooses the right chest. Portia tries to help Bassanio by hinting with her word choice of "hazard", which is used in the correct chest's label. She even tries to persuade him to stay for a few days so she can keep giving him hints. Before Portia gives Bassanio the ring she tells him that "Myself, and what is mine, to you and yours is now converted"(113). Since he chose correctly, Portia and everything she own's is Bassanio's property, and even though she believes he means good she still warns him after she gives him his ring that "when you part from, lose, or give away" the ring he will lose his honor. The ring signifies commitment.
ReplyDelete-Fernando