The Merchant of Venice

I had the opportunity this month to read the part of Portia for a Sunday Shakespeare group here in Moscow.  It was loads of fun getting into her head for the entire play, and I came out of it with a new respect for her feistiness.  I love the conversation between Portia and Nerissa at the beginning of the play where Portia is cleverly commenting on her many suitors and their ill-qualities!

What I'm wondering is if others out there would like to comment on their favorite Shakespeare ladies?  I'd love to hear from others who enjoy Shakespeare and the women he writes - Who is your favorite and what about them makes them your favorite?  Also, if you have a favorite passage or scene, share that, too!

Calpurnia in Julius Caesar is intriguing to me. Why did she marry, and stay married to, Julius Caesar? I gained a new insight into her inner character after reading the novel Memoirs of Cleopatra, by Margaret George. Do you realize that in the whole time they were married Calpurnia and Caesar never spent more than a few months together? Did she love him so much that a few days together were worth it? Or did she love his position and what it could bring her? How did she feel when he flaunted Cleopatra in her face? So many questions I loved to ask her.

Anyone who has studied Shakespeare has to enjoy Katharina from Taming of the Shrew.  This was a very bold move by Shakespeare to write a female character (at this time) who was so opinionated and wouldn't "fall into line".  Her verbal sparring with Petruchio throughout Act 4 is some of the best conversational writing in literature.