Nerissa

Nerissa is Portia’s servant, but in reality, their relationship much more closely resembles that of a tightly knitted friendship or sisterhood, particularly since neither woman has any other family within the play. Nerissa is also shown from the start to be very intelligent, making her even more sympathetic than Portia since we know Nerissa is capable of high-level thinking and excellent decision making yet because of her class and status, she’s bound to work as someone in an unskilled and undervalued position. We cannot help but consider what would have happened if she were in Portia’s position, as Nerissa seems less judgemental and abrasive towards prospective suitors.