2026

Shakespearean Art: Portia

| astronut1
Elisabetta Sirani, Portia Wounding her Thigh, 1664, oil on canvas, 101 x 138 cm (Collezioni d’Arte e di Storia della Fondazione della Cassa di Risparmio, Bologna)
Elisabetta Sirani, Portia Wounding her Thigh, 1664, oil on canvas, 101 x 138 cm (Collezioni d’Arte e di Storia della Fondazione della Cassa di Risparmio, Bologna)
"Porcia" Illustration from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum, 1553.
The suicide of Porcia, Pierre Mignard. Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes, 1650.

Portia (Or Porcia), was the wife of Marcus Brutus. Many ancient writers emphasize her courage, beauty, and devotion to her husband and Rome. Many painters and illustrators have chosen to depict her as a model of courage and grace.

https://portiacatonis.weebly.com

https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/portia-and-brutus/qQH7qtdFwf6xeA?hl=en&ms=%7B%22x%22%3A0.5%2C%22y%22%3A0.2668803418803419%2C%22z%22%3A8%2C%22size%22%3A%7B%22width%22%3A2.1891025641025643%2C%22height%22%3A0.6672008547008548%7D%7D

Elisabetta Sirani, Portia Wounding her Thigh

Top Five WORST Shakespearean Father Characters!

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Hello everyone!

Parenting is tough! Parents have to sacrifice so much to make sure their kids grow up happy, healthy, and prepared for life. Not everyone can do it, but if Shakespeare has taught us anything, it’s that there’s always someone doing a worse job than you. So for all you dads out there, enjoy this list of my top 5 worst dads in Shakespeare, lovingly made to remind you that whatever kind of father you are, at least you’re not these baddies!

If you’d like to listen along to my podcat about this topic while you read, here’s the latest episode here:

The Shakespearean Student Episode 4: Top 5 WORST Shakespearean Father Characters

Worst Dads Title:

First and Worst: #1: King Antiocus from Pericles.

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#2: Egeus from A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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#3: King Leontes from The Winter’s Tale

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#4: Titus Andronicus from Titus Andronicus

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#5: King Lear from King Lear

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Wanted poster for King Lear

Do you agree with my list? Leave me a comment below! Tomorrow I’ll continue my list with the top 5 Dad Dads; guys who are good, but have modern problems that keep them from being truly great. Then we’ll take it home with the best of the best. Hope you enjoy them!

Till Next Time,

-The Shakespeare Guru

Announcing Father’s Day Week on Shakespearean Student!

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Hello everyone!

Thanks for liking and commenting on my last few posts. I feel this website is starting to hit its stride and I have all of you to thank! This week, because Father’s Day is coming up (June 21st), I’m devoting an entire week to posts and podcasts related to fathers. Here’s a sample of some of the topics I’ll be covering:

  1. Shakespearean Father’s Day Cards: Find some nice Shakespearean sentiment to show your Shakespearean dad how much you care.
  2. Bios of William Shakespeare and John Shakespeare Both Shakespeare and his father had children, and both worked hard to make a better life for their offspring, so I thought I’d tell you some of their life stories so you can learn more about these great men.
  3. My Picks For Top 5 Best and Worst Dads in Shakespeare I’ve gone through the entire cannon from As You Like It to Alls Well That Ends Well, and picked out the dads whom I think deserve recognition either as great or terrible parents. Who will take the coveted #1 Shakespeare Dad prize? Stay tuned to find out!

Join me for all the fun this week, and also check out my podcast!