Portia was disguised as a lawyer who came to defend Antonio during his trial in Venice. She had heard from Bassanio, who at that point had won her hand by choosing the correct casket, that his friend, the sea - merchant, Antonio was in dire straits and feared for his life at the hands of the moneylender, Shylock.
Antonio had signed an undertaking guaranteeing the repayment of a loan for 3000 ducats in three months,...
Portia was disguised as a lawyer who came to defend Antonio during his trial in Venice. She had heard from Bassanio, who at that point had won her hand by choosing the correct casket, that his friend, the sea - merchant, Antonio was in dire straits and feared for his life at the hands of the moneylender, Shylock.
Antonio had signed an undertaking guaranteeing the repayment of a loan for 3000 ducats in three months, in order to assist Bassanio. Unfortunately, all Antonio's ships were lost at sea and he could not honor the bond. This allowed Shylock an opportunity to take revenge on him for Shylock hated him and had approached the duke to give judgement in his favor to cut out a pound of Antonio's flesh as per the agreement in the contract.
Bassanio had been informed of this unfortunate turn of events and was distraught by the news. Portia had seen him turn pale when he read the letter giving him the bad news and offered to help. When she heard that Shylock had been uncompromising and had stubbornly refused all alternatives for the repayment of the loan, she decided to become involved by secretly going to Venice, accompanied by Nerissa.
Before doing this, Portia sent her servant Balthasar, to her cousin, Doctor Bellario, an experienced lawyer, to obtain his advice and some garments for her and Nerissa's use. She asks him to hurry and bring what she has requested to her at the ferry to Venice. She tells Nerissa that they will disguise themselves as two men and will be so good at it that no one will be able to guess that they are actually women, not even their husbands will know who they are:
When we are both accoutred like young men,
I'll prove the prettier fellow of the two,
And wear my dagger with the braver grace,
And speak between the change of man and boy
With a reed voice, and turn two mincing steps
Into a manly stride, and speak of frays
Like a fine bragging youth, and tell quaint lies,
How honourable ladies sought my love,
Which I denying, they fell sick and died;
I could not do withal; then I'll repent,
And wish for all that, that I had not killed them;
And twenty of these puny lies I'll tell,
That men shall swear I have discontinued school
Above a twelvemonth. I have within my mind
A thousand raw tricks of these bragging Jacks,
Which I will practise.
The two women later appear at Antonio's trial in disguise. The duke reads a letter from Bellario in which he recommends a young lawyer, named Balthasar to represent him in his stead, since he is unable to attend the trial. We learn that Portia is actually impersonating the lawyer whilst Nerissa is disguised as her clerk. Portia defends Antonio successfully and he is released whilst sanctions are passed against Shylock, who essentially loses half of his property in the end and has to become a Christian or forfeit his life, at the discretion of the duke.
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