Does Jessica love her father? Why does she take and then spend so much money when she runs away? Do you think she'll live "happily ever after" in Belmont, with Lorenzo as her husband (and with Portia and Nerissa as friends)?
I believe to some extent, Jessica does love her father as he raised her through adulthood and was the one who guided her through good as well as bad life experiences and lessons. While he did not spoil her nor show her a lot of compassion as a child, Shylock raised her and he was a father-figure who cared for her for at least fifteen years (Jessica's age is not specified). When Jessica runs away and calls Shylock the devil, she does feel some regret and guilt (“Alack, what heinous sin is it in me / To be ashamed to be my father’s child! / But though I am a daughter to his blood, / I am not to his manners” [2.3.16–19]), showing she does have some feeling for him, however, she still rejects his way of life and religion (however not wealth), thus she stays away after she leaves with Lorenzo.
Jessica takes a lot of Shylock's money when she leaves to help support her lavish life style after she leaves her very wealthy father's care. Personally, I believe she takes this with her in order to get a glimpse of what it is like to have and spend your own money. Shylock assumingly provided Jessica with everything she needed in order to maintain her health as well as barely thrive but probably didn't purchase a lot of extra extravagant items and gadgets for her. She also is predicted to do this as she does not know if Lorenzo does have a lot of wealth and wants some for herself.
I do think she will live "happily ever after" in Belmont as this is what all of the characters did at the end of Act V. Because this play is a comedy, not a tragedy, all of the characters are supposed to be happy at the end of the story. Predicting her future though however, I believe Jessica will wonder what happened to her father and may even attempt to search for him as she may want to catch up after a long span of time. I believe Jessica will eventually become unsatisfied with how she left their relationship and may even want to explain her reasoning of why she left to Shylock.
No comments:
Post a Comment