Portia and Shylock - Thomas Sully

While this falls outside the scope of primary texts, as it wasn't completed until 1835, I thought it interesting that this image ignores Portia's cross-dressing in the courtroom (which would have been her only interaction with Shylock). While women actors would have been common by this era, it was a major element of the actual text of the play. It's likely just a stylistic choice on the part of the painter, as I suppose it could be argued that Portia is rather androgynous here, but it reflects changing roles for women. In some ways, this depiction of Portia places her in a weaker position. She appears cowed under Shylock's accusing finger, with a blush of embarrassment in her cheeks, and looks up at him through her lashes. He makes for an imposing figure, and while the potential danger he posed to Antonio certainly made him seem intimidating in the play, he held little actual power in the courtroom as a Jew.