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Chloe Chan, Ally Ng

1. In the movie, Portia was collected and composed and kept her cool. She spoke in a tone showing less expression and emotion. She didn’t show much body language as she kept her hands behind her back, seemingly asking Shylock for mercy and wanting Shylock to understand the reasons of doing so while keeping her cool She seemed like she was pitching the reasons to him in a quieter tone. However in the play, Portia was much more dramatic and expressive of her pleading emotions, being much more persuasive for Shylock’s mercy, she said it in a rush tone with different body movements, showing how badly she wants to convince Shylock to how desperately Antonio needed the mercy and why he should do it. She used a lot of emphasising in her tone of speech making it seem more persuasive, aggressive and desperate.

2. They are different mainly because of their tone and body language. The one in the movie is simply and calmly explaining about why he should show mercy to Antonio and wanting him to understand it with a collected tone portraying his composure, therefore showing less body movements and gestures however in the second it is desperately persuading and convincing for Shylock’s mercy and how impactful it would be to Antonio if he does so, therefore showing a more dramatic side with more body movements.

3. In the movie, Portia was mainly trying to pitch her ideas to Shylock about mercy and wanting Shylock to understand the concept of it and why he should show it to Antonio, however in the play, Portia was determined to persuade Shylock for mercy, more desperate and want to convince Shylock to show mercy to Antonio.

4. Although I understand Portia’s point of view about how showing mercy would lead to a less cruel outcome however I am more leaning towards Shylock’s side, Antonio himself signed up for this deal, he made a promise to Shylock that if he doesn’t fulfill his part of the deal he would have to bear the consequences, he himself was the one telling Shylock to not treat him as a friend while lending him the money, and that he would much rather be treated as an enemy by a ‘cruel’ jew like Shylock even if that means will bear punishments if he didn’t fulfill his deal. He signed up for this himself. Besides, he was horrible to Shylock, Shylock showing Antonio mercy would disregard all of Antonio’s punishment. Shylock embodies a strict interpretation of justice, which contrasts with Portia’s appeal to mercy. He believes that adhering to the law is paramount, especially after being mistreated, discriminated against by Antonio and other christians all his life, Jews have also faced discrimination from other religions, Shylock just wants to seek for justice for all the amount of times he’s been mistreated.

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Adelaide Tsang, Vivian Mok

1. In the movie, Portia was more calm and collected, speaking in a quieter way, and less emotions were involved — the urgency and persuasiveness were still there, but she seemed to emphasize on swaying and convincing Shylock to have mercy on Antonio. She also paced around Shylock much slowly and little body language was shown, and she was a lot more composed. In the play, Portia was more agressive on proving her point, spoke in a faster pace and louder voice, as if speaking not solely to Shylock, but to everyone in the courtroom. She also let more emotions show to the audience, indicating that she probably let more of her own personal emotions take control than just simply trying to convince him. She also carried a lot of power in her words and she impacted the audience with her body language and tone, making them believe that Shylock should have mercy on Antonio too, sort of ‘forcing’ him to have mercy.

2. There is definitely difference between the two. The Portia in the movie was trying to convince Shylock to be merciful but not entirely forcing him to do so— she mostly spoke to him and therefore gave him freedom to choose, and not a lot of personal feelings were shown. The Portia in the play definitely tried to use the voices of the audience to make Shylock merciful instead of letting him pick like in the movie, and it was evident that she was a lot emotional.

3. I infer from Portia’s motives in each performance that both the Portias had some kind of relationship to Antonio and definitely leaned towards him as the judge. Even though they are drastically different, they both wanted Shylock to be merciful to Antonio and save him from his punishment.

4. Even though I understand both views, I am more on Shylock’s side. Antonio didn’t show any mercy to Shylock before, and always discriminated him for being a Jew and mistreated him— so should he expect mercy from the person he didn’t give it to, and instead abusing Shylock? I don’t really think so. Besides, it was clear that he didn’t meet the date stated on the bond, so technically he should follow what stated there if he didn’t fulfill the requirements, and accept it. However, I think Shylock went a little bit too far with the punishment—what I believe should be the best outcome is if Shylock gave him a little less harsh punishment which didn’t meant that Antonio would be in danger.

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Evelyn chan, poppy yuen, Sharon kwan, jana tsui

1. In the movie, Portia was more quieter, showed less emotions, and she seemed to be only talking to Shylock, pleading him to show mercy. In the movie, Portia was louder and more animated, and seemed to be talking to the audience and the crowd watching the court scene, begging for the crowd to see reason in her asking Shylock to show mercy, and pressure him.

1. They are more different than similar. In the movie, Portia had an elaborate costume, fit with a mustache. That Portia looked and sounded more reserved and calculating. In the play, Portia came out with only a black shirt and pants. This Portia sounded confident because she knows she’s well prepared, and the crowd watching would easily agree with what she says.

1. In the movie, Portia wanted shylock to agree with her, and show Antonio mercy. She knows what she's doing, by quietly asking shylock, he might be more willing to accept, as she knows the crowd might not agree. In the play, Portia wanted the crowd to agree with her. She hopes that the crowd will be able to pressure shylock into showing mercy. Both of them wanted to save her husband’s friend, as he's the reason why they're now happily married.

1. I'm more on Shylock’s side. Shylock has all the reason to seek revenge on Antonio. Antonio was a jerk to him, and he's begging shylock for help. Now he can't repay his loans. It is well within reason that Shylock can claim his ‘prize’ (one pound of flesh). This not only makes Antonio look bad; it makes his business look unreliable. To me, that is the biggest prize shylock could get from this.

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Emma Cheung, Vivian Cheung, Angelica Liu, Hailey Szeto

In the play, Portia was desperately trying to convince Shylock, speaking loudly in a rushed manner. In the movie, she was speaking in a calm and confident tone, more so preaching the ideas of mercy than trying to convince.

They are different in a way that their tones were completely opposite from each other. Portia in the play had a rushed tone and was using dramatic hand movements to show how desperate the situation was, meanwhile Portia in the movie used a relatively calm tone, had a straight posture and her hands behind her back, showing how composed she was.

In the play, we can see that Portia was more on trying to convince Shylock to give Antonio mercy, with most of the dialogue spoken while facing him. In the movie, Portia more so was trying to preach about the ideas of mercy, with her often looking at the crowd than Shylock.

I am more convinced by Portia’s speech. She mentioned that although others may not show you mercy, you can still show it to others. Mercy is apart of God, more important to a King than his crown. Mercy is shown with high regard which is why I think that Portia’s speech is more convincing.

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Elly , Ashley Cheng

1. I think Portia in the movie acts out her role as a judge well, as she emphasizes delivering her ideology to Shylock and also swaying him in the process. She is calmer and has little body language shown throughout the scene. She circles around Shylock while talking, making space for him to actually think about the words she had said to him, also inviting the audience to do the same, introducing us to her thinking.
The Portia in the play is more dramatic and aggressive about her speech. She started her speech with such power that could bring Shylock‘s attention to her and made sure he listens to her. She gradually walks near Shylock, making her speech an impact on both the audience and Shylock. Moreover, she conveyed her point with drastic body language, such as widened eyes and a loud voice to highlight her point. It’s as if she’s triggered by someone so stupid that she has to get up from her seat to say her speech.

2. There is a clear difference between them. Though both Portia are saying the same lines from the same scene, their tone and what they emphasize are different. The Portia in the movie talks in a way of persuading as she's giving Shylock a new choice, not forcing him but making him think about an alternative way he could punish Antonio instead of needing his flesh, while the  Portia in the play is actively and eagerly trying to make him change his mind, she did not provide a choice but made it like a law that should be followed nevertheless.

3. The Portias in both plays‘ main motive is to convince Shylock to have mercy on Antonio and rescue him from being cut off a pound of flesh. Yet the way it is acted out is quite different. In the movie Portia has calm emotions when explaining mercy to Antonio and the crowd, slight pauses in her speech provoke people to actually think about the meaning of her words. Perhaps her motives were actually trying to change people‘s minds with her words of mercy. As a woman, she didn’t have freedom of speech at that time, but now that she‘s a “male” judge, she could use this power to convey her message directly without restrictions and also in the process of helping Antonio.

On the other hand, the portia in the play acts as if they were in a heated argument. When Shylock said, “…tell me that.” Portia appears to be stunned and over-reacted upon hearing this, she said her lines in a way that focuses more on her words with actions that correspond to it, trying to knock some sense into Shylock that he MUST have mercy on Antonio. She was eager to let him know that mercy is what he shall have towards Antonio, and her motives were clearly targeting freeing Antonio from his doom.

4. I’m convinced to a certain extent. I understand what Portia is trying to convey about mercy, but Antonio does not deserve mercy considering what he's done to Shylock before. Moreover, he did sign to this bond, so logically, he should follow it. But I also think that what Shylock has proposed is too far. I understand his desire for revenge and though I think it is reasonable enough for him to do that, there is another way to solve this. So I would agree with Portia that Antonio would repay or accept his punishment in a way it wouldn’t cost him his life at the very least.

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Sharlene, Amber

In my opinion, the stage performance's Portia is quite intense and even at some times, stunned by Shylock's responses, as he, as a Jew, seems to misunderstand what mercy is. She uses this opportunity to preach about her Christian understanding of mercy and justice, gaining the masses' approval and agreement, even using it to overrule law and justice, which are supposedly important in a courtroom. Portia here also has a conflict of interest with the defendant, Antonio, which definitely affects her impartiality.

On the other hand, the movie's Portia speaks much calmer and more objectively, not letting her personal or religious beliefs interfere with her main objective of persuading Shylock into showing mercy and freeing Antonio.

Therefore, they are quite different, with the first attempting to overrule law and justice entirely, and the second convincing Shylock to be merciful towards Antonio but not directly standing in the way of the law. However, as both Portias have an existing relationship with Antonio, it inconspicuously affects her judgement of the case.

I definitely understand the views of both sides, but I lean a bit more towards Shylock's side, as he has undergone mistreatment and abuse repeatedly caused by Christians, and when he finally has the chance to be avenged, it is Portia, yet another Christian standing in his way of justice. Shylock here wants justice specifically, and thus is not obligated to listen to Portia nor to spare Antonio.

I do understand that Portia only wants the best outcome for this case, in which Antonio is spared. However, this outcome completely disregards punishment for Antonio, even with his past mistreatment towards Shylock, as he is spared, of the bond and all legal consequences. Which is why, the position of Portia as a judge in this case dooms the outcome from the very beginning, as rather than being impartial towards all sides, Portia uses the concept of mercy to push her beliefs onto Shylock and everyone else, hoping it will be enough to overrule his pursuit of justice

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Michelle Lai, Ashley K

How would you describe the Portia portrayed in each performance?

I would describe the Portia portrayed in the movie as more calm and the play Portia as more aggressive. In the movie, Portia spoke in calm tones and spoke as he was doing a public speech. She also walked and spoke slower and tried to convince the audience and Shylock that  forgiving Antonio was the best thing to do. In the play, Portia was portrayed aggressively. Portia’s speech was much faster, louder and the quick response of the audience of agreeing to Portia made the atmosphere much more intense. He also shouted to Shylock in front of others in his face and cut off Shylock when he tries to speak for himself, which made it seems like Portia was forcing Shylock with the pressure of the crowd to take mercy over justice and to forgive Antonio.

Are they more similar or different? In what way?

They were more different in terms of the characteristics of Portia, the tone and the atmosphere in the court. The characteristics of Portia is more calm in the movie while the play is more aggressive. The tone difference which the play is more intense also impacts the atmosphere in the court.

What can we infer about Portia's motives in each performance?

Although the main motives in both performances are the same, which is to save Antonio from having his flesh cut off, I also think that Portia might have different motives in different performances. In the movie, Portia was speaking slowly and actually giving time to Shylock and the audiences at the court to think about her speech and Antonio’s point of view in justice. Historically, women in that era had limited freedom compared to men and their opinions were usually not heard. However, Portia dressed up as a man and had a chance to let her opinions be heard, so she speaked in a tone as how she would speak in a public speech. On the other hand, Portia in the play was very aggressive especially towards Shylock, and the reason behind it might be she wants to be savage to a Jew. In the Elizabeth era, Jews were viewed as inferior, and Portia might be one of them and wanted revenge on Shylock. Also, Antonio was her husband’s friend which also adds on the reason why she was so determined to sabotage Shylock.

Are you convinced by Portia's speech? Or are you more on Shylock's side? Why?

I am not convinced by Portia’s speech and I'm more on Shylock’s side. Although it is convincing that mercy is important, I think that telling other people to do what you're not willing to do is not convincing. In her speech, she basically tells Shylock to show mercy to Antonio when Antonio didn’t even show any mercy according to the act before which he always abused Shylock physically and verbally by calling him a dog and spitting on him. She also basically explained how mercy is more important than justice, which I believe is invalid. Also, after Antonio confessed that he can’t pay the bill, Portia then told Shylock he must be merciful, then said that mercy should not be forced and should be coming from the heart, in the case of Shylock, he should be willing to let go of Antonio’s punishment. This is basically explaining how forgiving Antonio, which is mercy, is more important than doing what they were supposed to do, cutting Antonio’s flesh according to the commitment. Although mercy is important on different occasions, I believe that justice should also be given to Shylock as this is the part of commitment that Antonio agreed to. Antonio agreed to the arrangement of having his flesh cut if the commitment wasn’t fulfilled. If Shylock let go of his justice in the commitment, then justice would be non-existent as Antonio might do it again and then again tell Shylock he has to be merciful and get away with the consequences over again, which implies that Antonio will never have consequences for his actions and having no justice towards Shylock. This implies that she thinks mercy is more important than justice, but as laws, commitment and courts exist for justice, so her speech is not convincing and made me stand on Shylock’s side. On the other hand, it’s humiliating to Shylock. According to the play, both Antonio and Shylock agreed to the contract, and Antonio didn’t fulfil the commitment. If Shylock let go of Antonio, it means that other people can take advantage of him and have no consequences for the actions.

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Emily wan, Kalila, ally C

I would describe the play’s Portia as intense, shouting out her views on the words on the lord in face of misunderstandings of the bible by masses, I see this as a chance for Portia to spread her views on mercy and Justin in Venice, as she cannot do that usually because she is a woman. On the other hand, the movie’s Portia is more calm, circling Shylock as if trying to convince him to free Antonio is her main objective, rather than speaking and preaching to the masses.

They are much different, the former trying to change the flawed “course of justice” and the latter aiming to have Shylock reconsider and save Antonio.

I can now clearly see the two sides of the argument, but I do not particularly stand on either one of their sides. I understand that Shylock is fed up with the mistreatment, and wants to use the opportunity to get revenge against the people that mistreated him, in this case Antonio. Therefore I don’t believe that him seeking “justice” (killing Antonio) is wrong.

On the other hand, I believe Portia wanting to save Antonio and spread her views on mercy and justice isn’t wrong as well. It is in the human nature have compassion, and she showcases this by her objective of saving Antonio. Her humanity leads her to be compassionate of her husband, wanting to save his friend so her husband doesn’t feel guilty, as well as to want Antonio to live.

Therefore it would be unfair to stop Shylock from receiving his justice, (if she directly stopped him, he would probably take it as another blow to his repressed anger, and become even more resentful to Christians) and it would also be unfair to stop Portia from acting on her humanity and wanting to save Antonio. Therefore I wouldn’t say anyone in particular is correct.

I also believe she also wanted to share her views on mercy and justice during the court session, she is a woman, and by learning the background and settings of the Elizabethan era, where women didn’t have much say in anything political, let alone the views of the church, we can deduce that the court session was portia’s only shot at voicing her opinion. Therefore we have to understand that saving Antonio was not portia’s only objective during the court session.

Sorry guys I didn’t proofread this I just yapped for a bit :3

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Discussion questions

How would you describe the Portia portrayed in each performance?

Are they more similar or different? In what way?

What can we infer about Portia's motives in each performance?

Are you convinced by Portia’s speech? Or are you more on Shylock’s side? Why?

Any other thoughts you have :)