The father and daughter relationship in Shakespeare's plays: Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice

Relationships have played an important role throughout our history. One of the most important roles is the relationship between a father and his daughter. In Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare shows two different father-daughter relationships. The relationships are between Ophelia and Polonius in one hand, and Jessica and Shylock, on the other hand. The first relationship shows how far Ophelia is an obedient and weak girl, whereas the other one reflects how Jessica is rebellious and strong. Ophelia's relationship with her father is full of respect and love, whereas Jessica does not like her father and thinks he is rude. But both of the relationships show the authority and the dominance of patriarchal society in Shakespeare's time. In my thesis, I will explore the ways in which Shakespeare discusses the stereotypical father-daughter relationship and employs Ophelia and Jessica to interrogate the traditional sixteenth century roles of daughters, and how daughters were not considered as important as men in a society in which the authority of father influenced the whole life of his daughter. Keywords: Shakespeare, Family Relationship, Patriarchal Society, Obedience, Rebellion