Who is the real hero of The Merchant of Venice?

For me, as in other Shakespeare comedies, it would be
better to ask who the heroine is. It is Portia in this play who shines out as being the
character who heroically solves the situation that the menfolk, including her new
husband, are unable to even begin to resolve. It is she who is described as active,
whereas her husband is left standing passively, watching his friend Antonio about to be
butchered by Shylock without being able to do anything. The initiative for this
stratagem comes from Portia alone, and she in every sense shows herself to be superior
to the male characters of this play. During the court scene it is she who controls the
action and is looked up to by everyone, including the authorities, for her superior
judgement, wisdom and skill.

With such things in mind, let
us consider whether Bassanio could be judged a hero of the play. Again and again, in
spite of his ability to choose the correct casket and gain Portia for his wife, Bassanio
is shown as a less than impressive figure. He starts off by asking his friend to get
into debt for him, because he has wasted his money, so that he can gain a wife who will
bring him money. He speaks of Portia being more a financial investment rather than a
person whom he loves and cares for. Although we may argue that he comes to lover her
during the course of the play, the initial scene where he confesses his spendthrift ways
to Antonio and asks him for more money leave a very bad impression. His subsequent
helplessness in the face of Shylock's wrath and fury present him as a weak character,
and to my mind unfit for Portia.

So, to my mind, the true
hero of this play is Portia in the way that she is able to solve the legal dispute that
nobody else is able to cope with.