Contrast(Portia and Jessica):

The differences are subtle and come mostly from the different situations the two women find
themselves in.

For starters, they are both of the same gender. Back during the Shakespearean time,
sexism was very common. So they were both treated equally amongst society for being
women. Portia and Jessica both struggle with romance in the play. Jessica, a jewish girl,
has fallen in love with a Christian. Portia, a Christian woman, has no control over who
she will have to marry, and love, for the rest of her life. Jessica hates her father for
being so cruel, and not understanding. She eventually runs away from home. Portia
does not hate her father, but he has passed away. His decisions in his will contributes to
Portia struggles with her romance. Another similarity between Portia and Jessica is that
they both only have one man in their mind. Jessica is set on marrying Lorenzo while
Portia wants to marry Bassanio. Both, Jessica and Portia, have close friendships in the
play as well. Jessica becomes friends with Lancelot, and Portia has Nerissa as her lady-
in-waiting. One main difference between both woman is that Jessica is Jewish, and
Portia is Christian. Because Jessica is Jewish, she is required to live in the “ghetto”.
Jessica lives in Belmont while Portia lives in Venice. Portia comes from a much better
financial background than what Jessica does. Portia is incredibly wealthy. Jessica has
much more rebellion than what Portia does. She even gives away her mother’s ring in
trade of a monkey. Jessica escapes her father’s control by running away, and eloping,
with Lorenzo. Portia on the other hand has a much more responsible character than
Jessica.

Portia and Jessica have much in common. Both are beautiful, intelligent, and
funny. Both are bold and can be blunt (e.g. Jessica says, "Our house is hell," Act 2
Scene 3; Portia says, "There is not one among [my suitors] but I dote on his very
absence," Act 1 Scene 2). Both disguise themselves: Jessica as a page boy so that she
can run away with Lorenzo, Portia as a lawyer so that she can save Antonio's life.

The biggest difference between the two is that Portia saves the day by playing the part
of "Balthasar," a "Doctor of Laws," so that through her brilliant and humane arguing
in court, she saves Antonio from having to give a pound of flesh to Shylock, Jessica's
father. From this we can see that Portia is very well-educated, wise, and generous of
spirit. She is also very self-confident, willing to pull off this dangerous undertaking
without even telling Bassanio what she is up to.

Now, Jessica is not stupid, but we get no hint from the play that she is as well-versed in
the law as Portia. She is wise and kind, but her bold move (running away with Lorenzo)
is done mostly for her own sake, not to save someone else. She is brave, but not as bold
as Portia. She runs away with Lorenzo at night, and even then she does not want to
hold a torch for fear she be seen in her pageboy's costume (Act 2, Scene 6).

Jessica is a plucky woman trying to escape a bad home life. We can infer that her life
with Shylock did not offer as high a standard of living, nor quite as good an education,
as Portia received. She also has a graceless tyrant for a father, whereas Portia's father
(now deceased) was apparently very wise.

Jessica is using her virtues to rise above the situation she was born into. Portia, an
aristocrat, was born with many privileges that allowed her to develop her natural
gifts. Now she is using her advantages to help others.

Compare(Portia and Jessica):

While the main plot of the play goes along the dispute between Shylock and Antonio
after Antonio borrowed the money from his Jewish counterpart to help his friend
Bassanio, female characters like Portia and Jessica help in constructing the sub-plots
and also supporting the main story-line.

These two women characters have been more or less the victims of the possessive and
conservative mindset of their respective fathers. Portia’s fate was to be decided by the
casket her father had left before his death. Portia therefore laments “so is the will of a
living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father” (Act I, Sc ii). Again, Shylock tried
to rigidly manage everything he got including his daughter Jessica. In his eye, being a
Jew and loving a Christian was a crime. That is why, Jessica had to elope with her
lover Lorenzo.

Shylock was in his mood throughout the play except twice. He was outwitted only
twice, that too by women. And those two were Portia and Jessica. In the court room in
trial scene, Portia managed to upset him and his bond by her logic. Again, Jessica
loved and even eloped with a Christian whom Shylock has hated all his life, giving
him the real shock.

Portia and Jessica both had to disguise in men’s apparel. That gives a hint at the social
position of women in Shakespeare’s society. Portia had to disguise herself to get the
entry to the court room to take part in the arguments, while Jessica had to do the same
to make sure nobody could identify her when she was eloping with Lorenzo.
Again, Portia and Jessica, both were very positive and self-reliant characters and both
were successful in marrying the man they loved. It feels like a poetic justice that they
got what they wanted and deserved too.

Both the characters are successful in securing the respect and approval of the readers
in their own merit, not only in Shakespeare’s time but also today. Both the characters
were able to take decisions, were intelligent and confident. That is how they made
themselves role models for the women audience, at least in Shakespeare’s time.

Similarities:
1.They are both of the same gender, and thus treated as such in the
story; back in Shakespeare’s day, sexism was not uncommon.

2.They both have the same kind of problem in the story – one of
romance.

3.Their fathers are both parts of their respective problems; Jessica hates
her father, while even though Portia does not hate hers, she is still
confused by the decisions he made in his will that contribute to her
problem.

4.They both want to marry a particular person. Jessica wants Lorenzo

while Portia wants Bassanio.

5.Both Jessica and Portia are close with their servant and lady-in-
waiting, respectively. Jessica is friends with Lancelot while Portia with
Nerissa.

Compare(Hermia and Helena):

.
Characterization refers to how an author depicts or develops characters
in a written work. A character's background, motivations and emotions
all play into the concept of characterization. Helena and Hermia are
depicted to be lifelong friends in the play. They're close enough that
Hermia feels she can confide in Helena her plans to run away with
Lysander. They're also close enough that each feels betrayed when the
other acts in an unfriendly way.
Plot refers to the sequence of events that drive a story. Helena and Hermia are both responsible for
creating the conflict that drives the plot of A Midsummer Night's Dream. While they love different people -
Hermia loves Lysander, and Helena loves Demetrius - they both stand up against opposition to fight for
what they want. Hermia's defiance of Theseus and her father in her refusal to marry Demetrius leads to the
events of the rest of the play. Likewise, Helena's obsession with Demetrius does the same. If Hermia had
simply married Demetrius, and if Helena had simply moved on, their magical and comedic night in the
woods would never have happened.

theme refers to an intentionally recurring idea that an author develops in a written work. One of the themes
of A Midsummer Night's Dream is gender roles in society and love. Both Helena and Hermia live in a
male-dominated world where men decide the fate of women. Hermia is being forced into a marriage with
Demetrius, even though it is clear that she does not want his affections. Demetrius broke his engagement
with Helena to pursue Hermia, and this does not seem to reflect very poorly on him. Neither woman is
content with these circumstances. Their fight for their own desires would have seemed out of character for
females both in the setting of the play and in Shakespeare's time.

Love is another important theme that Shakespeare explores in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and he depicts
many different types of love throughout the play. With Hermia he depicts forbidden love - love that
persists despite certain hardship. With Helena he depicts unrequited love or love that is one-sided and not
returned. However, we can say with certainty that both Helena and Hermia represent steadfast love - love
that that persists despite the actions of others.

Contrast(Hermia and Helena):

One difference between Hermia and Helena is in the way they each deal with conflict, Hermia being
quite fierce while Helena is a complete poltroon. At one point in the play, Lysander get put under
the love potion by Robin. When Lysander woke the first person he saw was Helena. Once Hermia
found out Lysander had the hots for Helena, the two girls got into a big fight. After a fight with
Hermia, Helena describes Hermia to Demetrius: “O, When she is angry, she is keen and shrewd. /
She was a vixen when she went to school, / And though she be but little, she is fierce”(3.2.340-343).
The two girls deal with conflict very differently. Hermia deals with conflict physically and with
aggression. Hermia comes across to Helena as angry and impulsive. Unlike Hermia, Helena deals
with conflict in a much different and calm manner. After her big fight with Hermia she thinks to
herself: “I have no gift at all in Shrewishness / I am a right maid for my cowardice” (3.2.316-317).
While Hermia is aggressive fierce, Helena uses her words during conflict much more than Hermia.
Although Hermia and Helena can be similar their argument styles are completely different.

Another difference between Hermia and Helena is their self esteem, Hermia being very confident
while on the other hand Helena has no backbone. Hermia is very confident about everything; her
looks, her skills, and pretty much anything she tries. Hermia says to herself; “I am as fair now as I was
erewhile” (3.2.286). Since her confidence level is very high, she is able to say things like the fact that
she is beautiful. Unlike Hermia, Helena’s self esteem is much lower. When Lysander magically falls in
love with Hermia she thinks she is being mocked. She says to herself: “I’m as Ugly as a bear”
(2.2.100). Usually people find being loved a pleasure and don’t second guess it. Since Helena’s self
esteem is so low she can’t look past the fact that she is not being mocked. Hermia and Helena’s Self
Esteem levels are very different and makes them complete foils.
Conclusion:

William Shakespeare's characterization of women varies immensely from

one comedy to another. In his works, Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant
of Venice, and Much Ado About Nothing, he portrays both dominant and
submissive women. Ultimately, Shakespeare examines the complexity of
women by displaying the vast array of attitudes, emotions, and their
treatment and reaction to men as well as refuting the typical subservient
wife role.