Do you think Jessica, in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, is an admirable character? If not, why and, if yes, why.

Whether one finds merit in the character of Jessica in Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice is entirely subjective. Each viewer of the play's production or reader of the script will form his or her own opinion regarding each of Shakespeare's characters. Shylock, the Jewish moneylender at the center of the plot, is a famously complicated character, at times venal and other times quite sympathetic given the anti-Semitic vitriol routinely cast in his direction. Shylock's daughter, Jessica, however, can, in this educator's opinion, be judged a bit more harshly. Shylock is relatively wealthy, and Jessica has grown up a child of privilege within the cultural confines of this racially-charged atmosphere. In Act II, Scene III of The Merchant of Venice, Jessica, in love with Lorenzo, a friend of Antonio and Bassanio, laments her life as the daughter of the Jewish moneylender, oblivious, as many children of privilege are, of the trials and tribulations to which her father has been subjected for decades. Note in the following lamentation Jessica's declaration of contempt for the man who has raised her, and who loves her:

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. O Lorenzo,
If thou keep promise, I shall end this strife,
Become a Christian and thy loving wife.

Jessica will, of course, elope with Lorenzo in the play's final scenes. Her father stands humiliated and diminished following the corrupt trial over his arrangement with Antonio regarding the infamous pound of the latter's flesh. Does the father's daughter rally to his side? No, she does not. Instead, she exploits the opportunity to elope with Lorenzo.

Is Jessica a meritorious figure? This is in the eyes of the beholder. Shylock is lacking in empathy, but this coldness is the direct result of the prejudices to which he has been subjected solely on the basis of his religion. Could he lend money without charging interest? Certainly, although he could not remain in business if he were to operate in such a manner. Could he simply choose a different occupation? No, and this is the crux of the matter. Jews were severely restricted in the professions open to them, and financial matters were one of the few occupations they could pursue. The charging of interest, typical of financial arrangements involving legitimately-operated banks, is a requirement of remaining in business. Antonio did not charge interest when he lent money because money-lending was not his primary source of revenue-he is, after all, the titular "merchant of Venice." He is a Christian, and free to earn money any way he sees fit. 

Next comes the question of whether Shylock was right to demand a pound of Antonio's flesh should the latter fail to repay his debt. Well, Antonio made the agreement in good faith, and failed to live up to his part of the bargain. Had he not been so mean to Shylock over the years, the latter would almost certainly have not agreed to such a barbaric arrangement. One could conclude that Antonio dug his own grave, in this respect. As such, then Jessica's disdain for her father is without justification. She is a spoiled, disloyal offspring, and one could conclude that she is anything but admirable in her treatment of her father.