Women in Shakespeare In The Merchant of Venice, the life of Antonio is saved by Portia, who disguises herself as a male lawyer in order to confront the Jew Shylock and turn the tables on him in a witty and discerning exploitation of legalism. Similarly, in King Lear, it is Cordelia, the despised daughter of Lear who alone of all his daughters remains loyal to the King and, in the end, saves his life even though it costs her own. Thus, in these two plays Shakespeare shows not only that women are equal to men in a world that declared them unequal but that in many respects the patriarchy that existed could not have existed without the help and, ultimately, saving actions of the women. This paper will show how Dusinberre is correct in assessment that Shakespeare viewed the sexes as equal by providing examples from Lear and Merchant of Venice.

While at first glance, it may not appear that Shakespeare's treatment of Portia is at all in line with Dusinberre's assertion of equality between men and women in the playwright's works, a deeper and overall examination of the work bears out the significant role that Portia plays. Essentially locked away in her home by her father's will, which only allows an individual of noble (and humble) virtue to win his daughter's hand in marriage (she is not allowed to choose for herself), Portia resembles a character who is both unequal and unable to make up her own mind. She is a prototypical female, subservient in a patriarchal society, who may not take her own life into her own hands -- or so it seems. When Bassanio arrives to take the casket test, Portia is attracted to him and does in fact take her fate into her own hands by singing a song that is meant to help guide Bassanio to make the correct choice. She is no mere, idle prize: she sees the man she wants (at last) and does everything in her power to get what she wants (short of breaking her father's will, of course). Thus she sings, "Tell me where is fancy bred,

Or in the heart or in the head?...So may the outward shows be least themselves;

The world is still deceived with ornament" (3.2.63-64, 73-74). Her guidance allows Bassanio to chose the correct casket and the two are happily married.

Portia's greatness does not end there, however. When she learns that Bassanio's friend Antonio is about to lose a pound of his flesh to Shylock, she does not sit back and let the "men" handle the situation; no, she becomes proactive and, disguising herself as a man (a nod to the fact that she does still live in a patriarchal society and must therefore adhere to its outward conventions) goes to the court, defends Antonio and defeats Shylock. Furthermore, she tests the loyalty of her new husband by declaring the ring which he swore to never take off as her payment. He hesitates (not knowing it is his own wife making the demand) but gives in, thinking it is justified since the "lawyer" did save his friend's life. Portia later reveals herself to Bassanio and teaches him a lesson loyalty and fidelity. Shakespeare thus shows Portia to...

In a patriarchal world, she would make a fine queen (and perhaps this is a tip of the hat by Shakespeare to the actual Queen of England, Elizabeth, who ruled alone). In any case, the example of Portia in Merchant of Venice is one that bears out the validity of Dusinberre's statement.
In King Lear, Cordelia shows herself not only the equal of men loyal to her father (such as Kent) but also their better. It is Cordelia, after all, who heroically leads the fighting units against the armies of her wicked sisters, who look to overthrow their father as a useless burden and take the kingdom for themselves. Cordelia, like Portia, is not immediately cast in such a heroic light. Initially, she comes across as a character who is subject to the overbearing and unjust patriarchy of a father who expects sentimental displays of affection from his daughters. When Cordelia refuses to debase herself in front of Lear's court in exchange for a "slice" of the kingdom, Lear becomes enraged at what he believes to be her rebelliousness, callousness and lack of caring. She protests that her love is evident in her will and in her duty, both of which she acknowledges align with her lord's -- but where she distinguishes herself from her groveling sisters (who do not love their father in the least -- they simply know how to stroke his vanity by flattering him in front of his court) is in her refusal to equate love with flattery. To Cordelia, love is much more than pleasing words and false sentiment -- it is a real duty that requires effort of the will, perseverance, and honor. Cordelia proves that she alone loves her father when she comes to his defense at the end of the play, even after he has banished her.

Moreover, Cordelia has no problem marrying a man who sees in her the virtues and strength that mark her as a beacon of greatness. If it is society's expectation that women should conform to a certain standard of outward affection and outward subservience, Cordelia is a marked departure from the norm: she refuses to conform to the demeaning standards thrust on her by her father. Yet in her refusal is her greatness: she is not rebelling for her own sake but because she believes that what he is asking is contrary to what she actually owes him. By saying exactly what she believes love to be -- a bond, a type of contract to which one must abide. Her bond to her father is that of a child's duty to honor a parent. She asserts that when she marries, she will have another bond and will be required to give half her love to her husband. She chides her sisters for…