Shylock loves Jessica very much, but turns on her when she elopes with Lorenzo. She wants to assimilate and become a Christian. She also is distressed at Shylock's overbearing attitude and behavior, which she says makes her home life "hell."
Shylock, however, had depended on Jessica to stay true to her Jewish heritage, so he feels betrayed when she runs off behind his back with a Christian and decides to convert. He is also distressed and hurt that she stole not only ducats from him but a turquoise ring his late wife Leah had given him before their marriage. He values the ring for sentimental reasons more than the lost money.
Shylock is cast as a villain in this play, but he nevertheless shows real human feeling in being hurt and upset that his daughter behaved in ways so at odds with both her family and religious heritage.
Shylock, at the beginning of the play, very much loves his daughter Jessica. However, Jessica is unhappy with her father's behavior, as well as with the restrictions that will fall upon her in terms of the men she will be allowed to marry while remaining within her father's good graces. Declaring herself to be a child of his blood, but "not to his manners," she tells Lorenzo, a Christian, that she will marry him and become a Christian too—something which enrages Shylock. By marrying a Christian, Jessica is betraying, in his eyes, not only her father's wishes, but her Jewish heritage.
Later, Salanio tells of how he saw Shylock in the street, calling out for his daughter and his "ducats" as if in equal measure. He suggests that Shylock really cares no more for the loss of Jessica than he does for the loss of the money which supposedly departed with her. Although, the assessment could be biased, as Salanio does not have a high opinion of Jewish people and may assume incorrectly about Shylock.
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