The Merchant of Venice · Chapter
Scene III explained
Jessica bids farewell to Launcelot as he leaves Shylock's service, giving him a letter to deliver to Lorenzo.
What happens
Jessica bids farewell to Launcelot as he leaves Shylock's service, giving him a letter to deliver to Lorenzo. She confesses her shame at being her father's daughter and her hope to marry Lorenzo and convert to Christianity.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Friendship
Jessica's love for Lorenzo motivates her to defy her father and plan an elopement, highlighting the power of romantic love to overcome familial bonds.
Prejudice and Anti-Semitism
Jessica's shame at being her father's child and her desire to become a Christian reflect internalized anti-Semitism and the societal pressure to reject Jewish identity.
Characters to notice
- Jessica
Expresses her disdain for her father's house, calls it 'hell,' and secretly sends a letter to Lorenzo, planning to elope and convert to Christianity.
- Launcelot Gobbo
Takes leave of Jessica, receives a ducat and a letter for Lorenzo, and shows emotional reluctance in departing.
Key passages
“Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil, Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness.”
Our home is miserable, and you, a cheerful rascal, have made it a little less boring.
Jessica describes her father's house as a place of suffering, and Launcelot's presence as a brief relief.
“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.”
Alas, what a terrible sin it is for me to be ashamed of being my father's daughter! But even though I share his blood, I do not share his ways.
Jessica expresses guilt over her shame of Shylock, but justifies her rebellion by distinguishing her lineage from her father's character.