Jessica (The Merchant of Venice) misfortune, is unable to repay and is subjected to an onerous default (a literal "pound of flesh" cut from his body). In addition, the play contains subplots regarding Bassanio's courtship of Portia; Launcelot Gobbo's humorous interactions with his father, and his change of allegiance from Shylock to Portia and Bassanio; and Jessica and Lorenzo's elopement, with Shylock's casket of Ducats. The role of Jessica is a relatively minor one. She speaks a grand total of 660 words over the play's five acts. In the dramatic structure of the play, the role is, however, pivotal: her elopement with Lorenzo, and her
Shakespeare Tavern of six years, The Atlanta Shakespeare Company produced "Romeo and Juliet", "Much Ado about Nothing", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "The Merchant of Venice", "Twelfth Night", "The Two Gentlemen of Verona", and "The Taming of the Shrew" in the back room at Manuel's, and at the nearby Excelsior Mill, attracting national attention with articles in "The Wall Street Journal", "The New York Times", and coverage by CBS and CNN. In 1990, The Atlanta Shakespeare Company opened the Shakespeare Tavern at 599 Peachtree Street. Since the Tavern opened, The Atlanta Shakespeare Company has produced over 73 plays, presenting 1,600 plus performances, including