Jessica (The Merchant of Venice) Jessica (The Merchant of Venice) Jessica is the daughter of Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, in William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" (). In the play, she elopes with Lorenzo, a pennyless Christian, and a chest of her father's money, eventually ending up in Portia and Bassanio's household. In the play's dramatic structure, Jessica is a minor but pivotal role. Her actions motivate Shylock's vengeful insistence on his "pound of flesh" from Antonio; her relationships with Lorenzo and Shylock serves as a mirror and contrast to Portia's with Bassanio and with her father; her conversion to Christianity is the end of
Shakespeare in the Arb as "Shakespeare in the Arb is a hugely popular local summer tradition." A particular favorite is A Midsummer Night's Dream. The play—with its natural setting, structure, and language—is perfect for presenting in the arboretum, which features dense heavy woods with mature trees, large lawns, steep hills, and a river. In 2015, A Midsummer Night's Dream was presented for the third time since the festival began. Shakespeare in the Arb Shakespeare in the Arb is an annual event, presented in the open, in Nichols Arboretum. Nichols Arboretum is a 123-acre (49.7 hectares) heavily wooded park, with large landscape lawns surrounded by