Shylock remains in control of events in Venice, but Portia,
his antagonist, is now moving against him. Her cross-dressing is
a device typical of women in Shakespeare’s comedies. Indeed, the
play has already shown Jessica dressed as a boy in her escape from
Shylock’s house. Dressing as a man is necessary since Portia is
about to play a man’s part, appearing as member of a male profession.
The demands placed upon her by her father’s will are gone, and she
feels free to act and to prove herself more intelligent and capable
than the men around her.
The conversation between Jessica and Launcelot in Act
III, scene v, does little to advance the plot. It acts as comic
relief and conveys the impression of time passing while the various
characters converge on the Venetian courtroom. Jessica’s subsequent
description of Portia’s perfection to her husband is odd, given
how little attention Portia paid to her, but Jessica recognizes
that Portia is the center of the social world that she hopes to
join.
