In the play The Merchant of Venice two fathers attempt to impose strict rules on their daughters. The characters that were affected by their fathers’, Shylock and Portia father were Jessica and Portia. Both daughters had two different personalities in terms of their behavior patterns. In contrast, Portia was more obedient and respectful to her father’s wishes. However, Jessica was often rebellious and felt restricted to her father’s love because Shylock’s main focus was based on his greediness for money. Both fathers imposed the strict rule on their daughter’s love choices: Portia couldn’t marry who she wanted and Shylock kept Lorenzo from Jessica. Lastly, Jessica followed a different path in life than Portia. Jessica stole her father’s riches, ran-away and eloped but Portia’s husband was to be chosen according to who selects the right casket. I believe each father had a responsibility to instill their parental roles to their children, without being overbearing or too drastic.
Shylock, Jessica’s father, enforced her to not only keep away from her lover, Lorenzo (probably because he was a Christian) but Jessica too felt no kind of love from her father. Shylock was mainly interested in his money affairs than being interested in fatherhood, so the money got more attention than his daughter. Devoted as he was to money-making, his race and his religion occupied quite as much of his thoughts. I believe too the reason why he neglected his daughter was because of the death of his wife, Leah and he could have been feeling emotionally depressed inside. The neglect and strict impositions caused Jessica to feel unhappiness at home. Not only was she sad, but she was ashamed of being Shylock’s daughter (probably because of the ridicule he faced of being a Jew and a villain). Since her father insisted that she stay away from her lover, Lorenzo, she decides to elope with him and convert into Christianity. This gives a breakaway feel of escape for...