Shakespeare Merchant of Venice
Why must we label some women's jobs while men's aren't? A basketball team needs to be changed to the "women's basketball team" when women participate. Women operate as the "other" in society, many being unacknowledged and treated as such. Judging by some of Shakespeare's works, it seems this same social placement existed in his time. Through examination of Jessica's escape from her father and Portia's conceding to her royalty in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, social construction and biological determinism for females can be acknowledged in their time. Jessica faces a relationship with her father that is far from being pleasurable and plans to leave the old man's house when she can. Not only does her sex trouble her in placing her in the powerless position under her father, but her Jewish background burdens her as well. Jews were the normative unappreciated ones, just as the female population. She feels humiliated to be Shylock's daughter as these encumbrances are laid on her to put her near the bottom of the constructed society. "Our house is hell...Alack, what heinous sin it is in me/To be ashamed to be my father's child!" (45-47). When Jessica explains the situation of her hou
Portia and Jessica exemplify the position of women in Shakespeare's time, whether it is trouble with the social construction or their biological place in their lives. Their actions that either submitted to or escaped from the system of power over females are the basis of many females who still partake in the refusal to stop the system and find freedom. So will this 'man' power prevail forever? If a female reads this, thou shalt decide. se, she is not only expressing her sorrow for Lancelot's departure as their servant, but she gives an idea about her relationship with her father and her desire to leave. She calls it a sin to be in her position because she not only needs to live in her father's patriarchy, but she has to deal with being mistreated as a female and a Jew. Jews and females were the normative "other", cutting her off from any credit as a woman or a person. Being Shylock's daughter, she is a subject in the system of the power that is in her father's hands. Her issues are more deep-rooted with being Shylock's offspring. "...the sins of the father are to be laid upon the children..." (107). Jessica agrees with Lancelot she was molded from the same clay as Shylock, although she refuses be the same. She is led to believe her life has been biologically determined as the child of this money lending Jew. To her, becoming a Christian with marrying Lorenzo would perhaps save her
Some common words found in the essay are:
Jessica Lorenzo, Merchant Venice, Jew Jews, Portia Jessica, Man's Name, Judging Shakespeare's, system power, social construction biological, relationship father, basketball team, escape father, social construction, construction biological, shylock's daughter, bastard hope,
Approximate Word count = 948
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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