WAEC - Literature In English (2005 - No. 37)

From the novel; The Merchant of Venice
From the novel; The Merchant of Venice
From the novel; The Merchant of Venice
Read the extract below and answer the question

Alack, what heinous sin is it in me
To be ashamed to be my father's child!
But though I am a daughter to his blood
I am not to his manners.....
(Act 11 Scene Three lines 15 - 18)

The speaker is
Tubal
Portia
Morocco
Jessica

Explanation

The lines are spoken by Jessica, the daughter of Shylock, in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.

In this passage (Act 2, Scene 3), Jessica expresses her shame and inner conflict about being Shylock’s daughter. She feels trapped by her father’s harsh and miserly ways but acknowledges that she is connected to him by blood. However, she rejects his character ("manners") and later plans to elope with Lorenzo, a Christian.

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