A1) Launcelot Gobbo, the comic relief in the play “Merchant of Venice” is the

Christian servant of Shylock. Lancelot, struggles to decide whether or not he

should run away from his master. Part of him, which he calls “the fiend” wants to
leave, while his “conscience” reminds him of his honest and loyal nature and
urges him to stay. It seems like Lancelot is having a very hard time choosing
between both. “The fiend is at mine elbow and tempts me, saying to me Gobbo,
Lancelot Gobbo...”. The “fiend” which is the devil is trying to convince him to
leave Shylock and betray him because of many reasons. One of the main reasons
is that because Shylock has done no good to Lancelot. He has treated Lancelot
badly as he has not provided him with proper food or proper clothes. The devil is
tempting him to leave Shylock’s service and take up service with Bassanio.
Launcelot wants to run away from the Jew on racial grounds. He fears that he
would become a Jew, if he served his Jew master any longer. Launcelot is a lover
of comfort. He feels that he is famished in the Jew’s house and thus wants to take
up service with Bassanio having false expectations of the latter’s wealth. “For the
heavens, rouse up a brave mind”, says the devil. Although the other side of him
tells him to stay. His conscience tells him that it is unethical to turn his back to his
Master, betray him and leave him in the lurch. “No: take heed, honest Lancelot.…
do not run, scorn running with thy heels.” His conscience advises him to be loyal
to his master, the Jew and not to deceive him. His conscience tells him that it is
against their religion to betray your Master. His struggle shows the contemporary
Christian practice of the conflict between good and evil. It shows the inner debate
common to contemporary Christian practice, in a temptation in which a man
debates within himself about the right but tedious path to be followed as against
the wrong, unethical one which appears easy and presents comfort.
A2) Shakespeare has shown the theme of conflict between the good and the evil.
The heart of Lancelot is battle ground of noble and evil thoughts. He is in two
minds as to whether he should be loyal to his master, Shylock, and continue
service him or to leave Shylock’s household and take up service with Bassanio.
Here Shakespeare uses parody to represent the debate between the conscience
and the fiend, that is the good and the evil. While the good advises Lancelot not
to deceive his Master and serve him to the last of his breath; the evil advises him
to do just the opposite. Lancelot’s inner noble soul voices that he is a good
Christian and it is against his religion to betray your Master. “Lancelot, budge
not!”. The evil, on the other hand, is telling him to leave his Master and be
Bassanio’s servant, “Budge!”. The evil explains to Lancelot that Shylock has
treated him miserably and not provided him with the proper necessities, despite
the fact that Lancelot had been very sincere to his Master, Shylock, and didn’t
plot against him. The evil lures Lancelot to the wealth and comfort of Bassanio
and fears him that continuing the service of Shylock would convert him from
Christianity to Jewism.
A3) Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, speaks to the audience after saying goodbye to
Launcelot as she plans her escape. She reveals how she feels ashamed to be her
father's daughter because of his behavior. “To be asham’d to be my father’s child!”
Jessica, left alone, confesses that although she feels guilty for being ashamed of
her father, she is only his daughter by blood, and not by actions. “ But though I am
a daughter to his blood, I am not to his manners.”

Unlike her father, Shylock, Jessica is gentle, noble and polite, although she didn’t
obey her father and decides to leave him so that she can become a Christian and
marry Lorenzo. She also declares her love for Lorenzo and her desire to leave
home and become a Christian to marry him. Jessica plans to elope with Lorenzo
against her father's wishes, become a Christian and marry Lorenzo. Jessica also
had a conversation with Lancelot saying farewell to him who is leaving his job as
her father's servant to go and work for Bassanio. Here she apologizes to Lancelot
because of Shylock’s mean and unkind behaviour towards Lancelot. She further
tells him that their house is hell and she will miss because him being in their
house would cheer her up and lighten her mood just like how a funny devil would.
“I am sorry thou wilt leave my father so. Our house is hell, and thou a merry,
devil, Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness.” Jessica also gives him a letter for
Lorenzo so that he could give it to him at supper time. She tells him to do this
secretly so that her father won’t know. “Soon at supper shalt thou see, Lorenzo,
who is thy new master’s guest; Give him this letter, do it secretly. And so farewell:
I would not have my father see me in talk with thee.” Lancelot replies to her in a
very emotional way to say goodbye to Jessica.  In his trademark convoluted way,
he explains, "Tears exhibit my tongue."  Then he adds, "Most beautiful pagan,
most sweet Jew."  Clearly, he has developed some affection for Jessica during his
tenure as her father's servant.
A4) Jessica is the daughter of Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in the play
“Merchant of Venice”. She was introduced to us in Act 2 Scene 3 of the book. In
this scene, we see how Jessica bids farewell to Lancelot and gives him a letter to
be delivered to Lorenzo. During the scene we can figure out some of Jessica’s
important character traits. Jessica is a good-natured and warm-hearted lady. She
was very considerate and affectionate towards her servant, Lancelot, who was
usually rather treated very badly by Jessica’s father, Shylock. She was very friendly
with him and did not treat him as a servant rather as a brother. She in fact was
very sad when he was leaving because she enjoyed Lancelot’s company, who
makes her comfortable in her father’s house which was like hell, “…a merry devil,
didst rob it of some taste of tediousness.”. Jessica has a great sense of humour
and wit. She likes Launcelot because he keeps her amused with his light-hearted
talk and his jokes; and she was feeling very low and sorry when she learnt that he
was quitting her father’s service. “I am sorry thou wilt leave my father so.”
Although, Jessica was a very kind-hearted lady, she was also disobedient towards
her father. She acted like a rebel and decided to sneak out of her father’s house,
marry Lorenzo and become a Christian. “…I shall end this strife, Become a
Christian and thy loving wife.” This would be totally against Jessica’s father’s
wishes because she was planning to secretively leave her father’s house, to get
married to a Christian and covert to Christianity. This scene also reflects the
daunting and audacious nature of Jessica, as she was a very bold step. At the
same time this scene demonstrates that Jessica was a very confident and clear-
headed lady, who believes that whatever she was doing, was right and was
determined to elope with Lorenzo. She was ashamed to be her father’s child
because of his mean and rude behaviour where as she herself was
lady. “To be ashamed to be my father’s child! But though I am a daughter to his
blood, I am not to his manners.”
In one of the previous scenes, Portia was also introduced to the audience in the
play. Jessica’s character greatly differs from Portia’s character a but they share
some similarities. One major difference between both the women is that Jessica is
Jewish, and Portia is Christian. Also, Jessica’s father is alive where as Portia’s
father has sadly passed away. Jessica hates her father for being so cruel and harsh
towards others. She is ashamed of being his daughter because in contrast to her
father’s nature, she is very kind and considerate towards others. Even though
Jessica’s father is still alive and she is dependant on him, Jessica breaks his trust
and does not obey him. She instead decides to elope with Lorenzo, marry him and
become a Christion. On the other hand, Portia’s father has passed away so Portia is
independent and can marry whoever she wants. Although, her father is dead she
still follows her oath and abides by his will, to marry that person who wins the
caskets test, although she actually loves someone else. A basic difference between
them is that Portia lives in Belmont whereas Jessica lives in Venice. Apart from
these differences, Jessica and Portia also share some similarities. Portia and Jessica
both struggle with romance in the play. Jessica, a Jewish lady, has fallen in love with
a Christian, while Portia, a Christian lady, has no control over the choice of her
husband. Moreover, they both have one person in their mind who they dearly love
and want to marry to. Jessica is also set on marrying Lorenzo who is a Christian,
while Portia wants to marry Bassanio. Furthermore, they both are willing to make
friends with people lower than their class like Jessica becomes friends with her
servant, Lancelot, and Portia has Nerissa as her lady-in-waiting. Thus, Portia and
Jessica are very interesting character to ponder upon as along with their
differences they also have some intriguing resemblance.