In Shakespeare' s Merchant of Venice,Portia is portrayed as a legal expert.Considerable scholarly work has been devoted to the discussion of the play,and Portia' s ruling appears to be supported by a majority of scholarly commentary.However,a number of important legal issues regarding the contract represented in the play require immediate attention.This article attempts to re-evaluate Portia' s ruling and the conventional views on Portia as a legal expert by considering the issues in question within a recent framework of law,and will argue that Portia' s role as a legal expert is questionable.Antonio,Bassanio,and Shylock can all ' walk free'.
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