By: Kimberly George
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In the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare illustrates his feelings towards Jews in 17th century England through the use of a commonly known stereotype during the time, the racial tension between Jews and Christians. Shylock is the focal point of the play, and acts as the traditional stereotype of the Jew in Elizabethan times. The merchant of venice is often seen as an anti-semitic work due to the stereotypical portrayal of the jewish character shylock. Some would argue that the most inevitable interpretation of shylock as a miserly wretch who care for nothing but his money is shakespeare expressing now – unfashionable anti-jewish views. However , one must remember that this view was seen as entirley normal and acceptable at the time, and most of the jews of elizabethan england had stoicly accepted such treatment.…
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But Shylock does not show Antonio mercy. This act shows hypocrisy because the Duke tells Shylock to do something, in this case to give mercy, but when Antonio is in the same situation, the Duke does not care and lets Antonio not give Shylock any mercy. The Duke says that Shylock should give Antonio mercy because he has just lost all of his ships with his goods and now a great merchant is out of business. Later, when Shylock is the one who is going to lose everything and be in an even worse situation than Antonio, no one shows him an “Eye of Pity”. All of the Christians get angry at Shylock for not showing mercy towards Antonio even though he is following the law. The only reason for that is Shylock is a Jew. Even though Shylock has already lost Jessica and a lot of his money…
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In Elizabethan England, many of the general public were anti – Semitic and driven by extreme dislike of other religions other than Christianity. This anti – Semitic sensitivity has lasted since the early ages, dating back to 1300 B.C. when the Jews were expelled from Egypt at the end of the nineteenth Dynasty.. Jews were accused of exploiting Christians and they were actually banned from England in 1290, and were not allowed back into England several decades after ‘The Merchant of Venice’ had been written. The Elizabethans were ignorant of the Jewish culture. Shakespeare knew that the majority of the population was Christian and had to write something that was somewhat an outrage to the Jews. So he decided to write the Merchant of Venice, in which he deliberately included stereotypical prejudice to reflect current society. The play in the earlier part of the twentieth century also became very popular in Germany, extreme anti-Semitism being encouraged when Hitler came to power. In recent times the “Holocaust” was our gravest tragedy which in fact was the most brutal and momentous event in Anti-Semitism which really portrayed the true and utter hatred of the Jewish people by the Nazi party.…
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In the play The Merchant of Venice Shylock, a rich Jewish moneylender in Venice agrees to loan Bassanio three thousand ducats on Antonio’s guarantee. Shylock is made to be the villain in the Merchant of Venice because of some of the things he does. But even though he may not have been the only one in the wrong, he is still guilty of the deadly sins of, avarice, envy, and wrath.…
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All communities run successfully with qualities of fairness and equality. The well-being of the citizens depends on the support and guidance they receive from those with power and influence in their society. When the people become corrupt and start having intentions that do not contribute back to the community, the society will fall apart and be unable to maintain balance and stability. In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the reader sees examples of injustice inflicted on the victims within the plays through the people with power within the community. The Christians in The Merchant of Venice mock Shylock the Jew countless times while the high court in The Crucible believe citizens are practicing witchcraft without a proper testimony. In both situations, the Christians and the court see themselves doing the right thing and believe they are contributing to the society when in reality, they break apart the community by persecuting those that are different. The victims in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible suffer from injustice as power being placed in the wrong hands leads to the formation of biased decision, the limited free will of citizens and severe punishments.…
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Discrimination and hatred across religions can be often become a normal part of everyday life, and can be difficult to eradicate and extinguish. In William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, the idea of the “normality” of everyday prejudices comes across in interactions and the portrayal of Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in Venice. Through Shylock’s character, Shakespeare provides a commentary on how his society has viewed Judaism in a dehumanizing way for many generations, but also expresses how difficult and not in a playwright’s place to change these societal prejudices.…
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Discrimination proves that injustice is shown in both plays. In The Merchant Of Venice, Jews are often mistreated by Christians and this results in Shylock’s mistreatment throughout the play. Shylock is treated like an animal by Antonio. He calls Shylock a throat dog and people never call him by his real name, instead they refer to him as the Jew. Shylock also…
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Throughout ‘The Merchant of Venice’ there are many examples of villainous acts performed by the characters. Although the character of Shylock may perhaps stand out in the mind of the reader, these acts are not solely limited to him individually. shylock cannot be considered the only villain in the play, for he shoulders much undeserved ridicule for his religion…
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In the Merchant of Venice, Shylock states, “He hath disgraced me and laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies- and what’s his reason? I am a Jew. Hath now a Jew eyes? Hath not Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?” (Shakespeare 110) This quote explains Shylock’s relationship with Antonio by stating that Antonio has laughed at his losses, made fun of his earnings, humiliated his race and turned his friends against him. Upset Shylock goes on stating that all of this is because he’s a Jew. He goes on claiming that Jews are just as human as anyone else. This statement exemplifies the idea of how Jews were treated,…
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William Shakespeare's “The Merchant of Venice” contains many examples that insult Jewish heritage because they were the minority in London in Shakespearean time. Although many parts of the play could be interpreted as offensive in modern times, Elizabethan audiences found them comical. The majority of London's population at the time was anti-Semitic because there were very few Jews living there. Shakespeare's “The Merchant of Venice” supports anti-Semitism actions and thoughts and therefore proves that Shakespeare was an anti-Semite. Antonio and Shylock, two similar businessmen of Venice, are viewed differently and are treated oppositely because Shylock is not a Christian but a Jew. One example of this is the way Launcelot treats Shylock in Act 2.…
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During the Elizabethan era the majority of the people were anti-Semitic, immorally believing that they were the superior people based on their vast numbers and the majority of rulers being Christian. Shakespeare spoke of this unjust behavior in his acclaimed play The Merchant of Venice. Shylock, a Jewish merchant, struggles with racial subjugation throughout the text. He experiences first-hand the true immorality of Christian rule and culture. Antonio, who is an upper-class Christian, borrows from Shylock, the Jew. Shylock, being the most moral character in the play, agrees to the deal but only on the condition that he may keep his morals and values. “I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you” (Shakespeare I. III. 120-130). Antonio, just like many other Christians, thinks of himself as superior to the Jews in this unjust anti-Semitic society. “If one shed One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods Are confiscate Unto the…
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Similarly to Othello, racial slurs were used to describe Shylock, often by Antonio, as he refers him to a ‘Jew’ rather than calling him by his name (Derek Cohen). Although, by Antonio calling him a ‘Jew’, it is not explicitly a racial term but it becomes racial because of the repetition of Antonio calling Shylock a ‘Jew’ rather than his name. As he is called a ‘Jew’ 58 times and his actual name 17 times which again shows Shakespeare stripping Shylock of any identity other than of being a Jew. However, the contrast between the portrayal of Othello and Shylock is that there seems to be fewer stereotypes related to ‘Moors’ than there is for the ‘Jews’ as the word ‘Moor’ is discriminating against the colour of Othello face whereas the stereotypes associated with the ‘Jews’ is much greater as it is discriminating their beliefs and not just their race.…
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Still have I borne it with a patient shrug, for sufferance is the badge of all our tribe. You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, and spit upon my Jewish gaberdine, and all for use of that which is mine own. Well then, it now appears you need my help...What should I say to you? Should I not say, 'Hath a dog money? Is it possible a cur can lend three thousand ducats? '...Say this: 'Fair sir, you spat on me on Wednesday last, you spurned me such a day, another time you called me dog, and for these courtesies I 'll lend you thus much moneys '? (p.83, I.3)This quote shows the strained and hostile relationship between Antonio and Shylock and shows Shylock 's hesitance and resentment of the idea of helping Antonio. It is evident in this quote that Antonio bears prejudice towards Shylock based on the fact that he is of a different faith. This form of prejudice is a solid theme in 'The Merchant of Venice ' and is still common today. The major modern example would be the Holocaust of the Jews in World War 2. This was the mass killing and hatred of people based solely on their faith. Still today many people are discriminated against based on their faith. There are forms of prejudice found everywhere in this modern…
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Shylock describes the incidents, saying, “You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog, and spet upon my Jewish garberdine” (Shylock, 1.3.120-121). When Antonio must go to court because of his inability to pay back his loan to Shylock, the moneylender behaves rather viciously during the trial, but this lashing out is the result of the poor treatment Shylock has received in society. Shakespeare is not trying to attack the Jews in his writing; he is attempting to attack the greed of the Christians during this time (Bronstein). This Jewish character deserves sympathy because the discrimination and cruelty he has faced throughout his life has transformed him into a villain. Shakespeare’s portrayal of the Jewish person “stresses the common core of humanity that lurks beneath the exterior of Shylock’s public character,” says Grant Stirling. In his famous, touching monologue, Shylock expresses that humanity through his profound despair and frustration:…
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Most times in William Shakespeare’s plays there would be a full of complex characters, that when there thoroughly analyzed show their true personalities. This is true in his famous play, The Merchant of Venice, the character Portia is not the helpless and innocent young women many other characters perceive her to be but in reality she is completely different. Shakespeare shows Portia’s true colours when she makes racist jokes towards Jews and people of dark complexion. Also, she is disrespectful by mocking how other characters dress, and talk bad things about their mothers.…
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