Portia
Portia is a name shared by two heroines in plays by William Shakespeare. The better known of the two is the heroine of The Merchant of Venice. This Portia, a rich heiress, is obliged by the terms of her father's will to set a puzzle to all prospective suitors, forcing them to choose between three caskets: of gold, silver and lead. Portia favours Bassanio, but is not allowed to give him any clues to assist in his choice. As a test of his fidelity, she disguises herself as a lawyer and represents Bassanio's friend, Antonio, in court, saving his life.The lesser-known Shakespearean Portia is the wife of Brutus in Julius Caesar. This Portia, though she makes only one appearance, comes across as a loyal and devoted wife, a worthy confidante for her husband, and her role is the only substantial woman's part in the play.
Portia is a moon of Uranus. It was discovered in 1986 by Voyager 2. Very little is known about it. Since it is below Uranus' synchronous orbit radius, Portia's orbit is slowly decaying due to tidal forces and it will one day break up into a planetary ring or impact on Uranus' surface.
- Orbital radius: 66,097 km
- Diameter: 110 km
- Mass: Unknown
- Orbital period: 0.513196 days
- Albedo: 0.07
- Orbital inclination: 0.09°
