Jessica in Ther Merchant of Venice

The merchant of Venice is a drama and romantic play, by William Shakespeare. Regarding the test for the suitors and the final part of the book, the author is inspired by a fourteenth-century Italian novel of Giovanni Fiorentino, called “Il Giannetto”, (Bullough, 1957). The merchant of Venice is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. It is contained on the First Folio, in the contents of Comedies, sharing certain aspects with others plays. That one traditionally ends with the positive return to order expected from the genre, it also has some characteristics of a tragedy, in particular with regard to the punishment and the oppression that are suffered to Shylock Jew. The peculiarity is the title of this book, “The Merchant of Venice”, in fact, it refers to the character Antonio, and not Shylock, a moneylender, which has a pivotal role in this play. One possible reason is that by calling “The Merchant of Venice”, Shakespeare wanted to focus the attention of the readers, on the

This makes Shylock, Jessica’s dad very angry because when Jessica marries Lancelot she becomes a Christian.

The play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Shakespeare effectively engages the modern audience through the means of comedic conventions within themes and characters. Comedy conventions such as racial and cultural slurs don’t engage the audience as successfully as they did during the 16th century. Since then, our perceptions have changed because of the impacts of historic events. However, the use of double entendre and gender roles continue to amuse modern day audiences. The Merchant of Venice is classified as a problem play/comedy because it deals with contentious social issues between the characters on stage, who typically represent conflicting points of view within a realistic social context along with comedic conventions. Written by the illustrious William Shakespeare about a merchant of Venice who must default in a large loan provided by an abused Jewish moneylender. Shakespeare uses some of the fundamental aspects of society in conjunction with subtle comedic conventions in order to appeal to a modern audience.

The characterisation of Jessica further challenges the role and expectations for women in the 16th century. Jessica is initially bound to her Jewish father, but later elopes with her lover, Lorenzo, defying the most prominent male in her life to live by her own free will; definitely not a common practice of her time. Jessica’s courage and strength which are exemplified through her actions and are also expressed in the quote; ‘I am a daughter to his blood; I am not to his manners’ (Act 2, Scene3, 18-19). When Jessica says this as she betrays her father to secretly marry Lorenzo, it is clear that she possesses a strong sense of defiance and strength against this dominant male, showing that she is free to be her own person and is not going to let her life be run by her father. This brave and controversial act by a young girl is in stark contrast to the expectations of 16th century society, revealing a hint of disrespect in the character of Jessica that is admired as a sign of her power. Overall, the actions of Jessica exemplify Shakespeare’s construction of women as powerful characters who

Wealth, therefore, has a flimsy grasp on romance that can easily be overcome with genuine affection. The same is true for Jessica, who steals her father’s gold before she elopes with Lorenzo. After discovering this, Shylock cries out, "My daughter, O my ducats, O my daughter!" (II.viii.15). By associating the antagonist with twisted ideals, Shakespeare creates a stark contrast between the corruption of wealth and the genuineness of love. This contrast reiterates the superficiality of wealth and suggests that its overemphasis can lead to corruption and decay in a relationship.

The Turquoise Ring gives depth to Shylock’s character by providing insight into his relationship with his daughter Jessica. While the merchant of Venice seems to Portray Shylock as a hostile and overprotective father, the Turquoise Ring offers a different perspective on the matter. It gives an understanding as to the reason for the constant contention seen between Shylock and his daughter. Shylock tells his daughter, “an angel were you, that did preserve me”, showing the central role Jessica plays in Shylocks life. After escaping the atrocities of his homeland in Toledo, Spain, Shylock is left with nothing of importance in his life but his daughter Jessica. His concerned for her is what motivates Shylock to try and create a very sheltered life for his daughter, fearing that he would lose the only thing he had left. After all that he had sacrificed, to lead for his family a Jewish lifestyle in spite of the dangerous implications of doing so, Shylock would not allow his daughter fall to the hands of Christianity,

The very fact that Jessica is forced to pose as a male in order to gain freedom –thus shirking the cultural norm –highlights the subjugation of women in Shakespeare’s time. Further enforcing Jessica’s lower social standing is her acceptance to be Lorenzo’s torch-bearer. Shakespeare provides a negative connotation because “torch-bearer” insinuates the image of a servant or otherwise owned individual, which the audience equates with what Jessica will become after her marriage ceremony.

The feminist critical perspective examines the roles that women play in literary works and their true significance to the text. Their roles are usually decided on by the society or time period in which the story is set. In "The Merchant of Venice," females were suppressed by the societal ideals of Shakespeare's Elizabethan era, which is portrayed through the characters of Portia and Jessica, who could not establish their own powerful identities because they were women. Portia and Jessica are the main female characters in the play. If they had been given a chance to show their skills, they undoubtedly would've been extremely strong women. However, they had to mask their abilities in order to appeal to their male counterparts. Their

It is ironic that Jessica’s actions should prove to be the catalyst that hardens Shylock’s attitude towards Antonio; she has turned Christian just as Antonio believed that Shylock’s bond turned him Christian.

The Merchant of Venice is a play set in a very male and Christian dominated society where other religions and women rights weren’t very well accepted by the community. However Portia, a rich woman who had previously been controlled by men, triumphs as she manipulates tricks and saves the lives of the men.

   The Merchant of Venice features a Jewish character that is abused and slandered by nearly every character in the play. Throughout the play the behavior of these characters seems justified. In this way, The Merchant of Venice appears to be an anti-Semitic play. However, The Merchant of Venice contains several key instances, which can be portrayed in a way that criticizes anti-Semitism. The first instance occurs in Act 1, scene 3 when the audience realizes that Shylock has every right to be extremely angry with Antonio. The second instance occurs when Shylock breaks out of his one-dimensional character form in Act 3, scene 1 in an extremely powerful speech that attacks the

Jessica is Shylock’s only daughter. She leaves her father heart broken when she decides to run off with a Christian, Lorenzo, and steals to her father’s ducats and some family treasures. Jessica is ashamed to be Shylock's daughter and she absolutely detests living in her father’s house commenting that, ‘What heinous sin it in me to be ashamed to be my father’s child.’ (II, iv, 16-17). When Jessica gives Lancelot a letter for

William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is a perplexing story of dark humor, race, religion, identity, love, and justice. Generally, most people understand The Merchant of Venice as a comedy about a bitter and outcasted Jewish moneylender named Shylock who seeks revenge against a Christian merchant who has failed to pay his loan back. However, there are many different perspectives on whether The Merchant of Venice is a comedy or a tragedy depending on one’s views on the difference between race and religion. If one views the story as a comedy, it is a dark comedy full of many problems, especially the controversial subject matter of anti-Semitic attitudes of its Christian characters. If one views it as a tragedy, it is a tragedy that concludes with majority of its characters in a “happy ending”—that is if one agrees that Jessica’s decision of love over betraying her father and giving up her Jewish identity is indeed a happy ending.

   Though William Shakespeare accurately portrays both Christianity and Judaism in his play The Merchant of Venice, the characters in the play do not represent their religions well. A reader unfamiliar with these religions could easily misinterpret flaws in a character's nature as the teachings of his religion. After a preliminary glance at the play, one would assume that Shakespeare wrote unjustly of the two religions depicted therein. However, Shakespeare had to write the play to please his audience, so he added a twist. By making characters not wholly perfect in their faith, in compliance with reality, Shakespeare was able to add the insults and bigotry and anti-Semitic feelings

In Act 2 Scene 4 Jessica decides to leave her father and her home to elope with a Christian man Lorenzo. This strengthens the concept of Shylock being a heartless villain because his child feels she must leave without a word of her desires. This shows that Jessica knows that her father would not listen to or consider her feelings for Lorenzo so she must steal and run away from him. On the night she leaves she says with little remorse ‘Farewell; and if my fortune be not crost, I have a father, you a daughter, lost.’ This shows that her childhood was not happy and that she was ‘ashamed to be her father’s daughter’. This is further evidence of Shylocks heartlessness.