THE BATTALION.
7
accomplished, lovely, lovable, and one who had such a sweet
and gentle disposition.
Portia shows her capacity for strong mental activity when
she so skillfully defends Antonio in the court of justice. She
had confidence in herself, and this served to render her cool
and collected throughout the entire proceeding.
She mav be censured for assuming male attire, but we find
that this was not an unfrequent occuranee in Shakespeare’s
time. She did it for love of her husband, though, and is there
fore excused.
After she has cleared Antonio she skillfully secures the
ring that her husband had sworn to keep until his death and
afterward, in her roguish and sweetly teasing manner, she
makes him feel very badly for having broken his oath.
Toward the close the play Portia becomes meiry and in
this frame of mind she is more lovely than ever.
Some one has asked: ‘‘What would life be without the
merry tinkling laughter of woman?” and promptly comes the
response: “It would be dreary indeed.” The same person has
said: “'The laugh of man is but a course ‘horse laugh’.” Men
do not like to acknowledge it, but the truth of the statement
becomes apparent when the contrast is really made.
From the glimpse we get of Portia all throgh the play, we
can but picture her to ourselves as one altogether lovely. We
imagine her possessed of a supeib form, beautiful face, ruby
lips, pretty teeth and laughing eyes. Shakespeare did not
give her one bad quality, and Bassanio might well have con
sidered himself fortunate in securing her.