Compare and contrast Antonio’s situation in signing the agreement with Shylock, to Portia’s situation of being held bound to her father’s...

One first has to consider that both the scripts are binding, legal documents and are therefore enforceable by law. The parties to these documents are obliged to meet the terms set out therein. Forfeiture would mean a loss of benefits or some form of punishment or penalty being exacted. When the documents were drawn up, they had to be attested to by officials of the court to make them binding and legal or else they would be null and void. We know that the agreement between Antonio and Shylock was attested to by a notary and we can assume that Portia's father did the same to validate his will.

The bond signed between Antonio and Shylock became a tricky matter since the execution of its terms became a matter of dispute. When Shylock demanded restitution for Antonio's forfeiture, he was denied the right to do so, since his application was contested. It was found that, as an alien, Shylock would have broken Venetian law if he had executed the terms of the bond. Firstly, he was not allowed to intentionally harm a Venetian citizen and secondly, it would be impossible for him to meet the exact technical requirements demanded by law. He could not spill one drop of Antonio's blood and he had to remove precisely one pound of Antonio's flesh - a highly improbable feat.

In terms of her father's will, Portia could not choose a husband but had to allow the forces of chance to do so. Her father willed that she could only marry a man who had chosen the right casket from the three that he provided for this purpose. If she wished to inherit his entire estate, she was obliged to meet these conditions. Disobedience would mean the loss of all privileges.

In addition, Antonio willingly decided to abide to the conditions in the agreement between himself and Shylock and became a co-signatory to the deed. He was desperate to help his good friend, Bassanio, and was assured that his ventures would turn out well. What he did not foresee was the forces of fate that would doom his ventures and leave him out of pocket and unable to meet the conditions of the bond. Portia, on the other hand, had no choice. Her father's will was a unilateral document and he did not have to consult her beforehand to make it legal. He only had to meet the legal requirements for the drawing-up of the will and such a script does not need an heir as signatory.

Both documents involve a spiteful resolve. In Shylock's case, the bond's purpose was to give him an opportunity to get back at Antonio for the abuse he had suffered at his hands as well as his hatred for him. It seems that Portia's father intentionally wanted to control Portia's destiny from the grave. He comes across as having had possessed a very controlling nature and did not trust that his daughter would make the proper decision in finding a mate, so he would leave it to an uncertain fate. It is clearly unfair on the beautiful and generous Portia. She however, loved and respected him too much to defy the conditions of his will and therefore did not make any attempt to question its conditions.

It is quite ironic that Portia had actually made so much effort to contest Shylock's request and not move an iota to question the fairness of her father's testament. Is it because she somehow knew that destiny would smile in her favor? Or is it because she was just an acquiescent, honorable daughter who respected her father's wishes? Be that as it may, she eventually got what she wanted, whereas Shylock was forced to regret his demands.