『베니스의 상인』(The Merchant of Venice )과 『오셀로』(Othello)에 나타난 “사랑의 도피”(eloping)

‘Eloping’ in Venice in The Merchant of Venice and Othello

In The Merchant of Venice and Othello, Shakespeare chooses the same setting, Venice, where significantly both daughters, Jessica and Desdemona, try to elope to marry the men they have chosen without their father’s consent. Although their elopements, superficially, had antithetical consequences through reflecting on how Venetian, Christian and patriarchal values impact on both elopements of the ‘disobeying daughter,’ this study shows that the society they inhabit demonstrates double standards, hiding its biased perspective beneath a thick layer of its fame for justice and mercy. For instance, without the knowledge of the ambiguous nature of Venice and its values, Jessica never understood why she was left alienated though she married a Christian, and Desdemona never found out where Othello’s anger came from. In conclusion, their subversive acts in ‘eloping’ become meaningless disturbances because neither of them realized the double standards of their society.