Critical Approaches to Merchant of Venice
I. TEACHING CONTROVERSIAL TEXTS
Works of literature, written hundreds of years ago, may contain viewpoints that seem stereotypical and that offend modern sensibilities. While it is natural to want to protect students from these harsh sentiments, it may be counterproductive to omit controversial texts from class rather than using them as a vehicle for raising awareness and sensitivity about issues of prejudice. When teaching The Merchant of
Venice, then, it is important to raise the issue of anti-Semitism as a precursor to examining the text, and to explore this type of prejudice as both a historical and contemporary phenomenon.
Throughout the play, Shylock, and by extension, all Jews, are presented as moneyhungry, conniving, and cruel. Shylock the Jew, as he is called by everyone in the play is compared with a dog, a cur, and a demon, and is referred to as the very devil incarnation. Teachers should be aware of the negative impact these words and ideas could have on students without a thorough examination of the history and the context of this language. It is important to consider how Jewish students in class may feel after reading The Merchant of Venice, and equally essential to take into account how the play might reinforce stereotypes of Jews among other students. When negative and stereotypical portrayals of minorities are read in class with no examination or critical analysis of these stereotypes, students may assume that these depictions are accurate and true. It is therefore critical to contextualize these stereotypes and offer students an opportunity to examine and deconstruct them.
Related Activities/Discussion Questions
1. ON CENSORSHIP/FREEDOM OF SPEECH
a. Ask students to define the word censorship .
b. Lead a discussion on the history of the free speech movement in the United
States. Students can research organizations dedicated to the promise of freedom of speech, such as the ACLU, www.aclu.org or PEN, www.pen.org,
an
Works of literature, written hundreds of years ago, may contain viewpoints that seem stereotypical and that offend modern sensibilities. While it is natural to want to protect students from these harsh sentiments, it may be counterproductive to omit controversial texts from class rather than using them as a vehicle for raising awareness and sensitivity about issues of prejudice. When teaching The Merchant of
Venice, then, it is important to raise the issue of anti-Semitism as a precursor to examining the text, and to explore this type of prejudice as both a historical and contemporary phenomenon.
Throughout the play, Shylock, and by extension, all Jews, are presented as moneyhungry, conniving, and cruel. Shylock the Jew, as he is called by everyone in the play is compared with a dog, a cur, and a demon, and is referred to as the very devil incarnation. Teachers should be aware of the negative impact these words and ideas could have on students without a thorough examination of the history and the context of this language. It is important to consider how Jewish students in class may feel after reading The Merchant of Venice, and equally essential to take into account how the play might reinforce stereotypes of Jews among other students. When negative and stereotypical portrayals of minorities are read in class with no examination or critical analysis of these stereotypes, students may assume that these depictions are accurate and true. It is therefore critical to contextualize these stereotypes and offer students an opportunity to examine and deconstruct them.
Related Activities/Discussion Questions
1. ON CENSORSHIP/FREEDOM OF SPEECH
a. Ask students to define the word censorship .
b. Lead a discussion on the history of the free speech movement in the United
States. Students can research organizations dedicated to the promise of freedom of speech, such as the ACLU, www.aclu.org or PEN, www.pen.org,
an
Bibliography: Alter, Robert. Who is Shylock? Commentary 96, issue I (July 1993). Anti-Defamation League. Confronting Anti-Semitism: Myths..Facts New York: Anti- Defamation League, 2006. Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare, The Invention of the Human. Riverhead Books, 1998. by Leah S. Marcus. W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2006. Garber, Marjorie. Shakespeare After All. Pantheon Books, 2004. Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World. W. W. Norton, 2004. Gross, John. Shylock and Nazi Propaganda. New York Times (April 4, 1993): 33-34. The Journal of Religion and Theatre 4, no. 2 (Fall 2003). Strobl, Gerwin. Shakespeare and the Nazis. History Today 47, issue 5 (May 1997).