Sinead Cusack, who played Portia in John Barton's 1981 production (photo 1), described how 'it was Portia who captured my imagination more than any other Shakespearean character. I liked what I saw in her on that first reading - warmth and humanity, together with wit and shining intelligence.' (Portia in ‘The Merchant of Venice’, Players of Shakespeare 1, CUP, 1989, Edited by Philip Brockbank, p. 29).

In Loveday Ingram's 2001 production at the RSC, Hermione Gulliford (photo 2) played the Belmont heiress with 'wit and intelligence' (Daily Telegraph) and her accomplice, Nerissa, was played by Eliza Lumley. 

What has been described as the play's moral ambivalence has frequently challenged directors to either favour the more romantic elements (embodied in Portia), or the more tragic elements (embodied in Shylock), of The Merchant of Venice. This has resulted in Portia being played, for example, as a smugly racist character in Bill Alexander's controversial 1987 production (photo 3). More traditionally perhaps, Portia has represented the play's moral integrity but since the Second World War she has become more of a conundrum for directors and actors to solve. However, there can be no doubt that Shakespeare placed her at the centre of his play, for it is through Portia's character that so many of the play's contracts are honoured, broken and nullified, beginning with her father's will and his casket test, up to her ultimate legal victory over Shylock in the court scene. 

Majorie Bland (photo 4) played Portia in John Barton's 1978 production in the RSC's studio space, The Other Place. 'Majorie Bland was dressed in black, mourning both her father and her own plight. She was introduced staring intently at the three caskets, contemplating their significance for her future.' [Keith Parsons & Pamela Mason, Shakespeare in Performance, eds, Salamander, 1995 from chapter on ‘The Merchant of Venice’ by James Shaw, p.138 ]