Gobbo, Jessica, Shylock

Two members of Shylock’s household escape his house during Merchant of Venice .  Lancelot Gobbo leaves in order to become a servant to Bassanio, and Jessica leaves to be with her lover Lorenzo.  The parallels between the two are brought out by the juxtaposition of the plots in Act 2: Scene 1 is at Belmont, where Portia is talking with Morocco.  Then we shift to scenes in Venice, the first involving Lancelot and his father Old Gobbo, and the second involving Jessica and Lancelot.  In 2.4, Lorenzo makes his plants to steal away Jessica from her father’s house, and in 2.5 Shylock prepares to go out to dinner, which gives Jessica an opportunity to escape in 2.6.  After another scene in Belmont, we return to Venice where the men of Venice are mocking Shylock’s lamentations over his departed daughter (2.8).

Beyond this interweaving of scenes, the parallels are brought interestingly to light in 2.5.1ff.

Shylock is talking about Lancelot leaving his service for Bassanio’s, but his train of thought is interrupted by his constant references to Jessica.  He searches for his daughter, but all the while he thinks about his servant changing masters.  The biblical allusion in 2.5.45 adds another dimension to the plot.  Lancelot is delivering a message to Jessica from Lorenzo, but to keep Shylock from overhearing he murmurs under his breath.  Shylock sees that he is talking to Jessica and asks “What says that fool of Hagar’s offspring, ha?”  The specific point of the allusion is to link Gobbo with the incident of Hagar and Ishmael’s flight.  Shylock is implying that Lancelot is like one of Hagar’s offspring.  He has been living in “Abraham’s tents,” i.e., Shylock’s house, but is now preparing to leave.  But the syntax is unusual: Does “fool of Hagar’s offspring” mean a “fool from Hagar’s tribe”? Or does it mean “what does that fool say about Hagar’s offspring?” The odd and ambiguous syntax and highlights not only Lancelot’s departure, but hints at Jessica’s departure.  If the question is taken as “What is that fool saying about Hagar’s child?” Jessica’s answer is revealing.  She implies that the fool is saying goodbye to Hagar’s child, implying that she herself is Hagar/Ishmael leaving Abraham’s house.  She is becoming a “Gentile,” marrying a Christian.

There are also links between these plots and the main plots of the play.  Jessica is the first woman in the play to put on male clothes and disguise herself as a man, and this foreshadows Portia’s later disguise.  In both cases the women who do this deprive Shylock of his rights and property.  Jessica leaves with a casket of gold and jewels, while Portia argues in court to keep Shylock from getting his pound of flesh and ends up depriving him of all his goods.  Jessica’s treasure chest is called a “casket,” which reminds us of the Belmont contest.  The significance of the lead casket may be implied here: Lorenzo has found a lead casket, an apparently unpromising love for a Jew ends up containing something beautiful.  He chooses from the “leaden” Jews/pagans, but finds a true Christian underneath.  Links with the casket scene are brought out by the fact that the scene where the casket is stolen from Shylock is followed immediately by the scene where Morocco chooses the gold casket.

The Lancelot plot also links with the major plots the play.  Shylock does not think Lancelot is much of a servant.  He likes to eat, he’s slow, he sleeps too much.  Shylock is glad to get rid of him because he’s a “drone.”  But he also sees it as a way of harming Bassanio.  Lancelot will help to waste away Bassanio’s purse.  Shylock makes the trade of the servant to get a “pound of flesh” from Bassanio.  This, like all of Shylock’s plots, is finally foiled.