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Fools in Fiction
My brave girl’s quest is a fool’s errand, but I’m proud of her spirit. – Abram Abernathy, The Revisionary Fool. The word can be a loaded insult or a joking comment. It can have the intent to correct or ring with resigned sadness. In The Revisionary, Portia’s father describes her plan to rescue Darius as a “fool’s errand,” and in doing so, implies the futility of her cause. Although she may be short-sighted, he still admires her determination. Fools in fiction (and real life) are complicated people. They may or may not fit the ordinary definition of a person who lacks sense or good judgment. The simple fool The easiest to spot is the…
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Character Profile: Portia Abernathy
Do you have a favorite fictional character? If you solved the trivia quiz from a few weeks back, you discovered one of mine. Portia is Shakespeare’s heroine in his comedy, The Merchant of Venice. This rich heiress of Belmont faces (what she believes to be) a miserable problem: she cannot choose whom she will marry. Her late father set up a lottery system using three chests of gold, silver, and lead. The man who discerns the meaning of each chest and chooses the right one will win Portia’s hand. But she is anything but a damsel-in-distress. When her eventual fiancé Bassanio tries to rescue his good friend from a spiteful lender, she disguises…
