Tuesday, June 7, 2016

What are your impressions about Jessica?

This question sounds fairly open ended, which means that you can write what you really think about Jessica.  The key is that you explain why you have that impression of Jessica.  Using specifics from the play is always a big help too.  Inherent in the question is also a simple character analysis of Jessica.  


Start simple.  She's the daughter of Shylock, which means that she is Jewish.  It's critical to note that Jessica is...

This question sounds fairly open ended, which means that you can write what you really think about Jessica.  The key is that you explain why you have that impression of Jessica.  Using specifics from the play is always a big help too.  Inherent in the question is also a simple character analysis of Jessica.  


Start simple.  She's the daughter of Shylock, which means that she is Jewish.  It's critical to note that Jessica is supremely unhappy with her home life.  



"Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil, / Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness"



That makes sense.  Shylock is a tyrant, and he frequently tells Jessica to lock herself inside the house, so that she can't hear or see any of the merriment that might be happening outside. I don't want to make it seem like Jessica is a completely innocent babe in the woods though.  She can be petulant and spiteful as well.  For example, she trades her dead mother's ring for a monkey.  The ring meant a lot to her father, and her actions are quite callous.  Additionally, I've always wondered if Jessica is truly in love with Lorenzo or if she just wants to marry him because he is a Christian.  That action would definitely hurt her father.    

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