Merchant of Venice Essay: The Role of Jessica -- Merchant Venice Essay

The Role of Jessica in Merchant of Venice     The character of Jessica, in Shakespeares Merchant of Venice serves an important function in respect to her father, Shylock. By deserting him for a Christian husband, Shylock loses the last person with whom he has whatever kind of tie. Shylocks isolation becomes a vital branch of his character, and drives his merciless actions against Antonio. Throughout the play, everyone who could claim any type of social or familial tie to Shylock leaves him. Launcelot the Cl avow, moves to a Christian master, who has the,grace of God... (II,ii L.139) His own female child Jessica forsakes him, and his entire Jewish culture, to marry Lorenzo, and become a Christian. gum olibanum Shylock has no one from whom he can receive solace. Shylock, therefore, becomes a character motived by isolation, and a feeling of desertion. His emphasis on the top values of money and law are the only thing he can claim as his own. When Shylock finds out abou t his daughters trickery, he begins to forsake the bonds of family, in sake of temporal laws delimitate right ...