The Merchant of Venice Father-Daughter Relationships Essay examples

In the time this play was set, a man’s daughter was seen as the man’s property, therefore the father was allowed to give his daughter to whom he thought was suitable. The daughter refusing her father’s instructions was seen as dishonourable and embarrassing for the father, for this shows a lack of power and control over his own daughter.

Without money, Bassanio believes himself an unfit suitor for Portia, unable to match any of her other, richer suitors in sexual appeal. It is doubly significant that though he speaks of love and sexual

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

In her story she used the old lady to represent her. The old lady makes a condition with this knight and they get married but he did not want to marry her. While they are married the old lady has these talks with the knight about being a respectful and accepting her as her: “No shame in poverty if the heart is gay, As seneca and all learned say./Lastly you taxed me with being old.Yet even if you never have been told by ancient books, you gentlemen engage,yourselves in honour to respect old age”(290).The knight becomes ashamed of her for all her flaws, but the old lady tells him that this should not matter to him and being a knight these virtues should be obvious to him. She gives him a choice of how their marriage will continue on: “You have two choices; which one will you try? To have me old and ugly till I die, but still a loyal, true, and humble wife that never would displease you all her life, or would you rather I were young and pretty and chance your arm what happens in a city where friends will visit you because of me, yes and in other places too maybe”(291). In this scenario she gives him two choices for the fate of their marriage. He explains to her whatever she wants to do he will submit: “And have i won the mastery? Said she, since i'm to choose and rule as i think fit? Certainly wife, he

In the early days, the role of woman has been confined by a man because their jobs are to get marry, have children, and most depend on their husbands. The men in the early society had bigger roles than women. Therefore, women has to base themselves on and listen to their men. However, in the story “Once Aboard The Lugger,” author Thomeas Qiller- couch presents an intense image of a woman who makes change in woman’s role in the early society. Nance Trewartha, a daughter of a fisherman in Ruan, wants to marry a minister Samuel from Troy. She has fond on him and starts to wonder how would be like if Samuel is her husband. With her lovingness and braveness, she kidnaps Samuel and start to reverse a women role in the courtship. Surprisingly, Nance pursues Samuel by isolating him, and she changes the patterns of courtship, culture, and class.

In this time period it was extremely common for a man looking for a wife to hold town events, for the chance to meet the different families and their daughters. Mothers and Fathers went to these events in hopes that their daughters will

The social norm during the time period was for fathers to marry their daughters off to respectable men who could be trusted with a family's wealth after it was passed down. In the case of Portia in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, her father is still determined to choose who she will marry, even from beyond the grave. By setting up the casket contest, Portia’s father is ensuring the commodity, Portia’s hand in marriage and undying love, will go to who he would have approved of to court his daughter. By obtaining the commodity in question, the suitors would also obtain the vast amount of wealth held by Portia’s family. One suitor in particular, the Prince of Morocco, best exemplifies this when he is deciding what casket to choose; “Let’s see once more this saying

They were neighbors and had always known of one another. Alejo had been out of the ranches for some time working in the city of Moneterrey when Audelia was still a child, but when he returned to his parents home he saw her and was immediately captivated by her. Audelia had become a young and beautiful woman and for him she was a truly graceful and could be set apart from all other ladies at first sight. Although their age difference made him doubt and hesitate to ask for her hand in marriage in fear of him being denied to be with her or simply her turning him down there was still a fire that burned within him to be near her. One day while she was in the kitchen with her sisters her father walks in and surprises her with the news that she was to be married to Alejo. Joy filled her home and she was very excited for what would become of her life with this man she had heard much of but truly knew little of. All she could say of him was that he was physically tall, handsome and had deep blue eyes with dark brown hair. She knew they were distant relatives, but that was not an issue for it was normal at the time to marry a distant relative due to the seclusion of their

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,

Other less pronounced limitations arise in regards to Jessica’s transvesting. The practice of cross-dressing becomes exceedingly important to practical applications later in the play because the women, specifically Portia, must interact with mainstream society. The resulting consequence of taking on a male façade ultimately provides empowerment for the otherwise subjugated women. Jessica’s cross-dressing, though it was insightful and served its purpose well, remains ineffective and powerless to change Lorenzo or impact society in any way. In Portia’s case, however, the potential for change exists because her character actively undercuts male conceptions of female frailty and inability, unlike Jessica’s enforcement of that very claim.

The discussion of the Wife’s five husbands describes her evolving role as a woman and how she overcame the most ridiculous obstacles to maintain this idea or illusion of marriage. The Wife’s depiction of her marriages was that three were good and two were bad. The initial marriages were to older rich men where she kept up this idea of marriage in order to receive money, but was not faithful by

Othello, the Moor of Venice is one of the major tragedies written by William Shakespeare that follows the main character, Othello through his trials and tribulations. Othello, the Moor of Venice is similar to William Shakespeare’s other tragedies and follows a set of specific rules of drama. The requirements include, following the definition of a tragedy, definition of tragic hero, containing a reversal of fortune, and a descent from happiness. William Shakespeare fulfills Aristotle’s requirements in this famous play.

Lines 9-14 means I want to stay here for a month or two before choosing the casket, so even if he chooses wrong he has already spent time with her. Portia wants to help Bassanio choose the correct casket. However, that would cause me to break the promise I made to my father. Thus, Portia doesn’t tell Bassanio, if Bassanio chooses wrong then they won’t be able to be together. Then Portia wishes she never made that oath and tell Bassanio the answer. In these lines it displays that Portia rather abide her father’s wills than help Bassanio prevent any chances of him losing. However, I agree with Portia’s decision because this action shows she respects her father. During this time women didn’t have much rights so Portia couldn’t really choose. In

Shakespeare criticizes society’s output on Judaism through his play with the characters Shylock and Jessica. Shylock and Jessica are seen as outsiders in Venice and are discriminated by the Christian characters in the play for being Jewish. For instance, Gratiano describes Jessica, a former Jew, as an "infidel "(III.ii.223) despite converting and marrying a Christian. By calling Jessica an “infidel”, Gratiano is implying that she isn’t a true Christian and is still a Jew. Later in the play, Jessica is also told there’s "no mercy in heaven.."(III.v.31) because she was Jewish. This statement evokes the idea all Jews are sinful and can’t enter heaven. The two examples above show how Jews are seen as inferior to Christians in the play. Because of this bigotry, Shylock is vengeful toward Antonio with his bond. When he finds out about Antonio’s lost ships, he exclaims: I'll plague him, I'll torture him. I am glad of it." (III.i.115-116). This line demonstrates the stereotypical image of Jews that Christians see. What Shylock says relates to the 16th century where Christians often believed that Jews used their blood in religious ceremonies. By saying he’ll “torture” and “plague” Antonio, Shylock is conforming with the negative image society has of him. However, Shakespeare also paints Shylock as a human character treated unfairly by the Christians in Venice. After finding out that his daughter Jessica eloped to a Christian man, Shylock delivers a powerful speech about Jews being equals: “Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases [...]as a Christian is?” (III.i.48-54). This speech presents to the audience that Shylock is human