Jessica in Ther Merchant of Venice

Jessica in The merchant of Venice In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare introduces his hearing to the multi dimensional character of Jessica. Jessica is set as the girlfri halt of a Jewish Merchant but the interview learns she is much more than that. As the ferment moves along and Jessica marries a Christian man, Jessicas identity as a Jewish woman is challenged. Although a minor character in the play, she is consequential because she makes the audience question what it kernel to be Jewish and therefore what it agency to be Christian.The differences mingled with Judaism and Christianity in the play are shown with Jessicas kindreds with Shylock and Lorenzo. The receive daughter relationship that Jessica and Shylock share shows the audience values of Judaism. The cardinal extradite a very rocky relationship through out the play and although it appears that Jessica is no more than a rebellious teenager, their relationships and interactions show the foundations of a Jewish family. Shylock shows the rigid draw reins of the Jewish religion through how he treats Jessica at their home.What the audience knows intimately Jessica and Shylocks history is that Shylock locks up Jessica in their house and she is not allowed out. Jessica then undoubtedly has resentment towards her father when she says Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil, / Didst rob it of some taste of redundancy (2. 3. 1). It is clear to the audience that Shylock not only wants to lock up his daughter to the world he, also doesnt want Jessica to experience Venetian fellowship when he says lock up the doors so the sounds of music dont drift in from the streets (2. 5. 5).It becomes very obvious that Jessicas house is a strict, rule goaded household that she does not appreciate or like. Jessicas flavor under(a) Shylocks rules shows the rigidness of the Jewish religion that Jessica was brought up under. These instances, at the beginning of the play, show the audience what Jessicas in tent-timespan as a Jew is like. It is not until we foresee Jessicas transition into a Christian that we keep see the differences between the deuce religions. Once Jessica runs away from home and marries Lorenzo, her life as a Jewish woman comes to an end. Through this transition of Jessicas, we see outside opinions on Judaism and Christianity.When Jessica runs away from home to marry, a conversation is sparked between Lorenzo and his friend Gratiano. They pass on a conversation about why it is that Lorenzo loves Jessica. Lorenzo is move to explain to Gratiano how Jessica does not fit the typical Jewish mold by saying For she is wise, if I so-and-so judge of her/And fair she is, if that mine eye be true/And true she is, as she hath proved herself(2. 6. 53-55). From Lorenzos manner of speaking when describing Jessica, it becomes clear that these Christians associate good traits such as fairness, intelligence, and truthfulness with universe traits that most Jewish people do not possess.On the opposite end of the argument, the play has Shylock and his response to Jessica running away, getting married, and selling her obtains wedding party ring. Shylock responds by saying Out upon her Thou torturest me, Tubal it was my? cobalt ultramarine I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys. (3. 1. 14). Shylock is upset that his daughter would surplus away her precious materials for something as foolish as a monkey. It is in this moment in the play that the audience sees the cutting carefree lifestyle Jessica is living as a Christian when she denounces her mothers ring.Shylock, who loves material possessions, is appalled by his daughters carless actions. The audience sees through Jessicas transition from Jew to Christian and from the conversations sparked in characters from this action how the two different religious groups see each other. After her transition, Jessicas relationship with her new husband also spar ks different assumptions about religion. After Jessica marries Lorenzo, her life is literally transformed from a Jew to a Christian overnight. Through her concluding actions of the play, the audience can see how different her two worlds are.Her life with Lorenzo is atomic number 53 full of carefree fun and no material possessions. While her life with her father was one full of rules and restrictions. Once Jessica enters into this relationship with Lorenzo, the notion of what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be a Jew is questioned. Jessicas two different lives represent the different stereotypes of the two religions. The Jewish people in this play are portrayed through Jessica and Shylock as being an old worldview of life. Shylocks house is very strict, rule abiding, and oriented in hard work.While on the other hand, Lorenzo represents the New Testament, Christian view of the world where people are much more about living carefree and denouncing material possessions. When Jessica marries Lorenzo and becomes a Christian through join she also brings up another question about religion and what makes a mortal a Jew. Jessica is a Jew by birth but converts to Christianity through marriage. This brings about the question of is it birth or decision that makes a someone a certain religion.Lancelot first brings this about when he claims that Jessica is damned because she was innate(p) Jewish in that he is referring to the fact that there is nothing she can do to undo being Jewish. The audience also sees many lines where the motion picture of split is brought up. Shylock refers to his daughter as my own flesh and wrinkle (3. 1. 32) and Jessica states, I am a daughter to his blood (2. 3. 18). This image of blood that Jessica and Shylock share bonds them together and parallels the idea that Judaism runs in the blood, therefore is headstrong at birth.Although Lancelot seems to believe that Judaism runs in the blood, Jessica believes that she can overtu rn this by marrying Lorenzo. She states, I shall be saved by my husband/He hath made me a Christian (3. 5. 3). To her, Judaism is out of her because her husband, Lancelot, made her into a Christian through marriage. here we see two differences in what the characters of the play believe makes a person Jewish. Lancelot believes Jessica is Jewish by birth, and Jessica believes that marrying Lorenzo can make her into a Christian. The character Jessica is important in The Merchant of Venice because of the questions she brings up about religion.Her relationship with her father shows her life as a Jew while her marriage to Lorenzo shows her conversion into a Christian. These two worlds of Jessica play off of each other and through them the audience is fit to see the differences between Judaism and Christianity. Through Jessicas transition from Jew to Christian, the audience is equal to see the large differences between the Jewish and Christian characters in The Merchant of Venice. Works Cited Evans, G. , ed. The Riverside Shakespeare. 6th ed. Boston Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974.