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"Scores only matter if they're very good, no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones. For all they know, you could be hiding your talents to get a low score on purpose. People use that strategy."
—Portia[src]

Portia was Peeta Mellark's stylist for the 74th and 75th Hunger Games.

Biography[]

74th Hunger Games[]

Portia was a native of the Capitol, and the stylist for District 12's male tribute, Peeta. This was her partner Cinna's first year as a stylist. She may have also been new to her profession because, according to Katniss Everdeen, newcomers often get assigned to 12 because it's "the least desirable district". However, Cinna specifically asked to style District 12;[1] it is unclear whether or not this was the case for Portia as well.

Chariot rides[]

According to Cinna, he and Portia decided to dress the District 12 tributes in complementary chariot costumes. They felt that the district's usual coal miner jumpsuits were overdone, and they both saw it as their job to make Katniss and Peeta "unforgettable".[1] Once Peeta's prep team finished up, Portia got him into his outfit, identical to the one Katniss wore: a black unitard covering him from ankle to neck, knee-high leather boots, and a fluttering cape of red, orange, and yellow with a matching headpiece.[1]

Katniss described Portia and the prep team as "absolutely giddy with excitement". When the tributes stepped onto their chariot, Portia and Cinna adjusted their positions and capes to make them absolutely perfect. Cinna then lit the capes and headdresses with a torch of synthetic flame he and Portia had devised together. Once the chariots pulled into the Training Center, Portia and Cinna both helped the tributes down and removed their capes and headdresses. Portia then put the fire out with "some kind of spray from a canister".[1]

Afterwards, Portia stood with Cinna and Peeta on a balcony overlooking the city, and at dinner, Katniss reflected that the stylists seemed to have a "civilizing effect" on mentor Haymitch Abernathy and escort Effie Trinket. Portia and Cinna stayed after the meal to rewatch the opening ceremonies, and when Haymitch asked whose idea it was for Katniss and Peeta to hold hands in their chariot, Portia replied that it was Cinna's.[2]

Portia2

Portia during the revealing of the training score

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Training[]

Portia and Cinna dressed Katniss and Peeta in identical clothes; on the first day, they had both tributes wear black pants, leather shoes, and long-sleeved burgundy tunics. They weren't present at dinner for the first two days of training,[3] but they dined with the District 12 team on the third day. Like everyone else, Portia stopped eating when Katniss confessed to shooting an arrow at the Gamemakers during her private session. She eventually reassured Katniss that even if they gave her a low training score, "no one pays much attention to the bad or mediocre ones," and that some might even assume she'd strategically scored poorly on purpose. Once Katniss's score was announced as an 11, Portia congratulated her along with the rest.[4]

Interviews[]

For Peeta's interview with Caesar Flickerman, Portia designed a black suit with flame accents.[5] Afterwards, Portia reassured Katniss that her reaction to Peeta's love confession had been perfect. She suggested that if Katniss had known, "it wouldn't have read as real", and the way Katniss blushed made her think Katniss could love him, too. The team sat down to eat dinner then, but Portia had to lead Peeta off to get medical treatment for his cut-up hands.[6]

The Games[]

The next morning, although not shown, Portia would have ridden with Peeta in a hovercraft to the site of the Games. She then equipped him with his arena uniform in the Launch Room before he was lifted into the arena above.[6]

Aftermath[]

After Katniss and Peeta were declared the victors, given medical attention, and cleared to leave the hospital, Katniss met with the District 12 team; she noted that Effie, Haymitch, and Cinna were all present to greet her, with the exception of Portia. This gave Katniss a bad feeling. Worried that Peeta could be dead, she blurted out her concern; however, Haymitch immediately confirmed that Peeta was fine and that Portia was with him.[7]

For the official recap, Portia dressed Peeta in black pants and sturdy black boots; he also had a slim metal cane to help him keep his balance on his new prosthetic leg,[8] but as medical equipment, it's unclear whether Portia had a hand in its design. After the prep teams and Effie were introduced to the audience, Portia and Cinna were brought out on stage to "huge cheers". The next morning, Portia pulled Peeta away to do a fitting for the new victors' interview. She put him in a red and white outfit. There wasn't much time afterwards for Katniss and Peeta to say goodbye to their stylists, though Katniss mentioned that they would see them again in "a few months" for the Victory Tour.[8]

Victory Tour[]

Although not shown, Portia prepared Peeta for his first televised appearance of the Victory Tour in District 12. She then accompanied him, Katniss, and the rest of the District 12 team on their cross-country train journey. They all ate dinner together that evening,[9] and the next morning, she and Peeta's prep team were assumed to be sleeping in because he didn't need to be prepped for their appearance in District 11 the same way Katniss did. Portia was awake and eating lunch with Peeta, Effie, Haymitch, and Cinna by the time Katniss joined them.[10]

Portia and the rest of the District 12 team waited inside District 11's Justice Building, watching on a wall-mounted screen as Katniss and Peeta gave their speeches outside. According to Effie, the screen had gone to static just after Katniss's speech, and then they'd heard what Haymitch had identified as gunfire.[11] Unbeknownst to them, an elderly man from the crowd had just been shot in the head.[10] Katniss believed Effie was being kept out of the loop, but she said she wouldn't be surprised if Portia and Cinna knew what had occurred outside. Before dinner that evening, Effie proclaimed herself "something of an expert in architectural design", and Portia said she'd heard that, just to fill in the gap in conversation.[11]

During the party at the President's mansion in the Capitol, Portia introduced Katniss and Peeta to Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Head Gamemaker. At nearly midnight, Effie went around the party to collect Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, Cinna, and Portia, in order to make it to their train punctually by one.[12]

75th Hunger Games[]

Parade[]

This year, Portia once again dressed Peeta in an outfit identical to Katniss's: a fitted black jumpsuit covering him from the neck down, and a metallic half-crown, like a heavy, black version of the gold one he'd been given at his and Katniss's victor crowning. Upon pressing a button on the inside of the sleeve at the wrist, the outfit would glow with "a soft golden light... gradually transforming to the orange-red of burning coal". According to Cinna, he and Portia spent "a lot of hours" watching fires in order to get the desired effect.[13]

Peeta told Katniss that Portia said the two of them were "to be very above it all. No waving or anything." Once the chariots pulled into the Training Center, Katniss seemed relieved to see Cinna and Portia waiting for them there, "pleased with [Katniss and Peeta's] performance".[13] The stylists were both present at dinner that evening, and they watched the opening ceremonies on television with the rest of the team, same as the year previous. When the program was done, Katniss stood up and thanked Cinna and Portia for their "amazing work".[14]

Training[]

On the third and final day of training, Portia and Cinna once again joined the team for dinner. When Peeta said he'd used the dyes from the camouflage station in his private session, but "not exactly camouflage", Portia asked him what he'd used them to do. Peeta admitted to painting a portrait of Rue, Katniss's twelve-year-old ally who had died the previous year, to hold the Gamemakers accountable for killing her. As Haymitch and Effie expressed fear and concern for him, Katniss noticed that Portia and Cinna were silent, but that they had very serious expressions on their faces.[15]

Katniss spoke up and announced that she'd hung a dummy and painted Seneca Crane's name on it. After some discussion, Peeta remarked that "You'd have thought we'd planned it," to which Portia replied, "Didn't you?" As she did so, Katniss described her as "[pressing] her eyelids closed as if she's warding off a very bright light." Portia was also present for the announcement of training scores afterwards.[15]

Interviews[]

Once Katniss was dressed for her interview, she and Cinna met Effie, Haymitch, Peeta, and Portia at the elevator. Portia had dressed Peeta in an "elegant" tuxedo with white gloves, in order to go with Katniss's wedding gown.[15]

The Games[]

The next morning, as Katniss boarded her hovercraft to the 75th Hunger Games arena, she realized that she hadn't said goodbye to Portia and told Cinna so. He replied that he would tell his partner; however, he would never get the chance, as he would be beaten and dragged away by Peacekeepers in Katniss's Launch Room.[16] Although not seen, Portia presumably would have collected Peeta at dawn and rode with him to his own Launch Room, then given him his uniform like normal. It's unknown whether she was apprehended or harmed at this time the same way Cinna was.

Death[]

About five or six weeks after the end of the third Quarter Quell,[17] Peeta and other captured victors were rescued from imprisonment in the Capitol. According to Plutarch Heavensbee, Portia and Peeta's prep team were executed by President Snow on live television that night. Hearing this, Katniss was so overwhelmed with guilt and grief that she had to be sedated.[18]

Personality[]

Portia, much like Cinna, was very level-headed, encouraging, and comforting. For example, she reassured Katniss about her training score and affirmed that Katniss's reaction to Peeta's love confession had been convincing. Based on her demeanor, she didn't seem to be as out of touch as many other Capitol citizens, which may be why she and Cinna appeared to work so closely and so well together.

Etymology[]

The name Portia comes from the Latin name Porcia— the feminine form of the family name Porcius— likely derived from "porcus", meaning pig.

She was likely named after Porcia, who was the second wife of Brutus, one of Julius Caesar's most notable assassins. In Parallel Lives, the historian Plutarch said that Brutus refused to tell his wife about the murder plot for fear that she would give something away under torture. In order to prove herself, Porcia endured an untreated, self-inflicted wound on her thigh; when she overcame the pain, she returned to her husband and bade him to tell her the truth. However, they were interrupted before Brutus could, and the plot was carried out without her having been informed.

The narrative of Porcia and Brutus could be tied back to Portia and her partner Cinna, since he had ties to the rebellion, while the extent of Portia's own involvement is unknown.

Trivia[]

  • Although all the stylists and prep teams from the Quell— save for Katniss's prep team— were dead by the end of the Second Rebellion,[19] Portia and Peeta's prep team were the only ones explicitly confirmed to have been executed by Snow.[18]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Hunger Games, Chapter 5
  2. The Hunger Games, Chapter 6
  3. The Hunger Games, Chapter 7
  4. The Hunger Games, Chapter 8
  5. The Hunger Games, Chapter 9
  6. 6.0 6.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 10
  7. The Hunger Games, Chapter 26
  8. 8.0 8.1 The Hunger Games, Chapter 27
  9. Catching Fire, Chapter 3
  10. 10.0 10.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 4
  11. 11.0 11.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 5
  12. Catching Fire, Chapter 6
  13. 13.0 13.1 Catching Fire, Chapter 15
  14. Catching Fire, Chapter 16
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Catching Fire, Chapter 17
  16. Catching Fire, Chapter 18
  17. Mockingjay, Chapter 11
  18. 18.0 18.1 Mockingjay, Chapter 13
  19. Mockingjay, Chapter 26
The Hunger Games trilogy
Novels The Hunger GamesCatching FireMockingjay
Main Characters Katniss EverdeenPeeta MellarkGale HawthorneHaymitch AbernathyEffie Trinket
Supporting Characters Primrose EverdeenPresident SnowCinnaMrs. EverdeenMr. EverdeenPresident CoinClaudius TemplesmithCaesar FlickermanMadge UnderseePaylorPlutarch HeavensbeeSeneca Crane
Tributes MarvelGlimmerCatoCloveFoxfaceThreshRueMaysilee DonnerTitus
Past Victors Augustus BraunAnnie CrestaBeetee LatierBlightBrutusCashmereCeceliaChaffEnobariaFinnick OdairGlossJohanna MasonLymeMags FlanaganMorphlingsPorter Millicent TrippSeederWiressWoof
Groups RebellionGamemakersPrep teamTributesVictors
Locations PanemThe CapitolDistrict 1District 2District 3District 4District 5District 6District 7District 8District 9District 10District 11District 12District 13
Behind the Scenes Suzanne CollinsGary RossFrancis Lawrence
Films The Hunger Games (film)Catching Fire (film)Mockingjay - Part 1Mockingjay - Part 2
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