Essay Questions

How does Donata escape her apparent lack of freedom?

Freedom or lack thereof is a very well explored ideology in the Daughter of Venice. Even though Donata belongs to a rich family, she lacks the freedom to do as she pleases. As a result of this, her sisters help her dress up as a boy, a disguise she uses to escape from her house and explore the city. Through dressing as a boy, Donata is able to have the freedom that she longs for as she explores the town, even striking relationships with some of the people she meets such as Noe.

How does Donata avoid the marriage plan and ensure that her sister receives exactly what is hers?

When Donata’s father announces that he has found good matches for his two daughters Laura and Donata. Because of her brewing love for Noe, Donata decides to denounce Christianity and follow Judaism seeing as this would allow her sister to get married, and at the same time, she could avoid having to get married to someone she does not love. All the same, Donata is able to avoid the marriage through her denouncement of Christianity and also ensures that her sister receives her worth for her hard work.

How are women treated differently in this work?

The oppression of women is suggested through the treatment of girls differently from the boys. For instance, because of the lack of freedom at home, Donata has to escape by dressing herself like a boy, a disguise that enables her to explore the town. Additionally, the decision-making process is left to the head of the family as girls are not allowed to make their decisions on such things as marriage. This is specifically brought out when Donata’s father finds them, suitors. Donata has to avoid this fate by denouncing Christianity. In this way, the writer highlights the differential treatment of women.