Editorial Note
In reading my page, I was struck by how one-sided the conversation is. Lorenzo talks at Jessica, while she delivers one line in the midst of his paragraphs. I thought the way the page is structured was very funny; a page full of Lorenzo, with one solitary "Iessi", so I tried to mimic that visual look with a text thread between Lorenzo and Jessica. In this modern take, I can imagine Lorenzo being the type to double-triple-quadruple text, while Jessica just waits for a moment to get a word in.
This is also Jessica's last line in the play. While she has banter with Lorenzo earlier in the scene, it's disappointing that she doesn't get to have any greater role in her last speaking parts. I wanted to highlight how little she speaks in this page and is overwhelmed by text (or, in my case, texts) from the men in her life. For a character who gets a surprising amount of agency in choosing her husband and faith, Jessica leaves stage on a quiet note.
Image credit: Rare Books & Manuscripts Department, Boston Public Library, copy G.176.16. The most excellent historie of the merchant of Venice. First Quarto. London: 1600.
Citing this page: Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice, I2v. London: 1600. Cacodemon Digital Shakespeare. Edited by Benjamin Rosenfeldt. Source edition: Rare Books & Manuscripts Department, Boston Public Library (copy G.176.16). http://cacodemonshakespeare.com/comedies/merchant/i2v.
