A Daughter have you Lost
The Merchant of Venice is a play written by William Shakespeare. It was written between 1596 and 1598. It takes place in Venice, at a time when Jews were discriminated. The antagonist of the play is a Jewish man named Shylock. He has one child in the play, a daughter named Jessica. Shylock comes into the story because of a loan, made by him, to a merchant named Antonio. Antonio and Shylock do not agree with each other, and Jessica helps develop tension between the two. Jessica shows how her father is hated, brings out his true concerns, and plays an important role in later events between Antonio and Shylock .
Jessica demonstrates her hate for Shylock to anyone who mentions him. In Act II , Scene
III , Shylock ’s servant, …show more content…
“My daughter! O my ducats!” First he mentions his daughter, but he speaks of his ducats next. “O my Christian ducats!” The fact that he says ‘Christian ducats’ shows that even though the ducats came from a Christian, he doesn’t care where the money came from. The more money for him, the better. “A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats, of double ducats, stolen from me by my daughter! And jewels, two stones, two rich and precious stones.”
Shylock not only loses his daughter and ducats, but he loses jewels. Overall, he says things about ducats and jewels more than he says things about his daughter. The most extreme show of his greed comes in a conversation with a fellow Jew, Tubal. “ I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear! Would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin!” Shylock would rather have his wealth than his daughter. That shows how heartless he is. When Shylock is at Antonio’s trial in Act IV, he is asked why he wants a pound of flesh from Antonio. He replies, “So can I give no reason, nor I will not, more than a lodged hate and a certain loathing.” Shylock’s reason for wanting Antonio’s flesh is simply ‘because’. He hates
Moon …show more content…
The purpose of the merchant saying this is to emphasize the point that he, and the rest of Venice, believe that Shylock really is just a dirty Jew. After this encounter, Shylock does not have feelings towards Antonio. This is where Jessica comes into play. She tips the scales with her elopement, and Shylock comes out and shows his true feelings.
Shakespeare weaves many seemingly minor characters into his works. But they all play a bigger role in the main story. Jessica is only one example in this play. Without her we wouldn’t get a sense of how much Shylock, and Jews in general, were despised. The way she talks of her father, and her actions in general, such as conversion to Christianity, create tension between
Moon 4
Shylock and the other characters. She enhances hostilities that are key in later scenes. The later trial relies on the hate between the merchant and the Jew. Jessica’s actions caused Shylock despise Antonio. Because of this, Shakespeare succeeds in making an intense
The Merchant of Venice is a play written by William Shakespeare. It was written between 1596 and 1598. It takes place in Venice, at a time when Jews were discriminated. The antagonist of the play is a Jewish man named Shylock. He has one child in the play, a daughter named Jessica. Shylock comes into the story because of a loan, made by him, to a merchant named Antonio. Antonio and Shylock do not agree with each other, and Jessica helps develop tension between the two. Jessica shows how her father is hated, brings out his true concerns, and plays an important role in later events between Antonio and Shylock .
Jessica demonstrates her hate for Shylock to anyone who mentions him. In Act II , Scene
III , Shylock ’s servant, …show more content…
“My daughter! O my ducats!” First he mentions his daughter, but he speaks of his ducats next. “O my Christian ducats!” The fact that he says ‘Christian ducats’ shows that even though the ducats came from a Christian, he doesn’t care where the money came from. The more money for him, the better. “A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats, of double ducats, stolen from me by my daughter! And jewels, two stones, two rich and precious stones.”
Shylock not only loses his daughter and ducats, but he loses jewels. Overall, he says things about ducats and jewels more than he says things about his daughter. The most extreme show of his greed comes in a conversation with a fellow Jew, Tubal. “ I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear! Would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin!” Shylock would rather have his wealth than his daughter. That shows how heartless he is. When Shylock is at Antonio’s trial in Act IV, he is asked why he wants a pound of flesh from Antonio. He replies, “So can I give no reason, nor I will not, more than a lodged hate and a certain loathing.” Shylock’s reason for wanting Antonio’s flesh is simply ‘because’. He hates
Moon …show more content…
The purpose of the merchant saying this is to emphasize the point that he, and the rest of Venice, believe that Shylock really is just a dirty Jew. After this encounter, Shylock does not have feelings towards Antonio. This is where Jessica comes into play. She tips the scales with her elopement, and Shylock comes out and shows his true feelings.
Shakespeare weaves many seemingly minor characters into his works. But they all play a bigger role in the main story. Jessica is only one example in this play. Without her we wouldn’t get a sense of how much Shylock, and Jews in general, were despised. The way she talks of her father, and her actions in general, such as conversion to Christianity, create tension between
Moon 4
Shylock and the other characters. She enhances hostilities that are key in later scenes. The later trial relies on the hate between the merchant and the Jew. Jessica’s actions caused Shylock despise Antonio. Because of this, Shakespeare succeeds in making an intense