The Importance Of Anti-Semitism In Schools

Throughout the education system, there seems to be an unofficial consensus that pieces of literature that are deemed “controversial” should not be taught in school. The Merchant of Venice falls into this category due to the Anti-Semitism which exists within the play making it “controversial” therefore, banned. On the contrary, this play should not be considered controversial and it should not be banned due to the learning experiences and knowledge that can be gained by reading this play. The contrastive style of literature will provide students and teachers alike who read this play the chance to expand their horizons when it comes to their English skills. With this in mind, The Merchant of Venice written by William

A widely spoken about topic in America is “Isms,” they can be described as ways to discriminate practices, cultures, and groups of people; moreover, there are lsists upon lists of “isms” in today’s society being used to discriminate. Significant oppressions in today’s society are racism and transphobia, and a similar case would be the discrimination of Jews. Represented as anti-Semitism, this can be defined as, “Hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group”(“Anti-Semitism”).

Based on Act 3 Scene 1, Shylock’s portrayal as a villain is soon changed to be one of a pitiful victim. Shylock is portrayed as a villain because of his sinister intentions to harm others, especially Antonio. His malicious desire to catch hold of Antonio’s weaknesses and use it against him - makes him an avenging and resentful villain. However, Shylock is a victim due to the discrimination and oppression that he had to face because of the hatred from the Christians. Some examples of his mistreatment by the Christian community include mocking his Jewish religion, being spat upon and called crude names. Hence the mistreatment towards Shylock because of his Jewish heritage triggers the need for him to satisfy his revenge by redirecting the hatred

“Jews have been depicted in English and American literature largely in negative terms. Foster and Epstein state: From ‘Shylock’ to ‘shyster,’ words and images have been used and invented to depict Jews as canny, crafty, usurious, power-mad, conspiratorial, stubborn, greedy,” (315). In other words, the Jews were depicted as malicious and inferior to the Christians. Shakespeare illustrates Shylock as an evil canny villain. “This unwonted and saeva indignatio of Shakespeare is usually attributed to an Anti-Semitism inherited from the Middle Ages and kept alive by the illegal presence of Jews in London” (37). For instance, Antonio insults and abuses Shylock comparing him to an animal. “You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog, and spet upon my Jewish gabardine” (The merchant of Venice act 1 scene 3 109-110) Consequently, Shylock points out Antonio’s racist behavior and Antonio replies “I am as like to call thee so again, to spit on thee again, to spurn thee too. “(the merchant of Venice act 1 scene 3 128-129).It is important to realize that Shylock by pursuing his” pound of flesh” attempts to understate Antonio’s human nature as well, by comparing him to an animal whose body can be sold or

Determining Whether there is a Presence of Anti-Semitism in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

The victimization of Shylock for being a Jew makes the reader sympathize with him and for the fact that he is Jewish. It lends an understanding as to how Shylock cultivated a hate for Christians and his justification in doing so. In contrast, Shakespeare makes no mention of Shylock’s past and uses his Judaism as the sole means for his distinctive torment of Antonio.

Earlier students of American Jewish life minimized the presence of anti-Semitism in the United States, which they viewed as a late and alien phenomenon on the American scene arising in the late 19th century. More recently, scholars have asserted that no period in American Jewish history was free of anti-Semitism. The debate continues about the significance of anti-Semitism in different periods of American history. Anti-Semitism has always been less prevalent in the United States than in Europe. The first governmental incident of anti-Jewish sentiment was recorded during the American Civil War. The United States was restrictive towards Jewish immigration during the 1920s by enacting with the Johnson-Reed Act & blocking Jewish students from attending Harvard University.

The show The merchant of Venice a shakespearean play that has a seen depicting a anti semitic theme the director and actors experience major backlash by critics and the general public(Taneja, Preti. "Should Shakespeare Be Censored?." Washington Post -

The first event that demonstrates that Shylock is a victim would be that he is ridiculed by his community and his family. Antonio and Shylock were never friends. They always fought because Antonio was a Christian and Shylock was a Jew. They also have different money lending practices which cause a lot of discrepancies. Antonio always mocked Shylock. He calls him a misbeliever and a cutthroat dog. Shylock tells us that Antonio “…call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog,/ and spet upon my Jewish gabardine,” (1.3.108-109). Here Shylock demonstrates that Antonio on a day to day basis mocked Shylock. Later on, Antonio mentions that he will call Shylock that again if he wants to. Another example would be Antonio’s friends. They teas Shylock for his faith and his misfortunes. When Jessica runs away with Shylock’s money and jewelry, he asked the Duke to go help him search Bassanio’s ship for them. Solanio heard

Furthermore, in the Nazi culture, Jews were seen as the “enemy” or the “alien-race, meaning they are considered as the inferior race in comparison to the Germans. With this way of thinking, the culture enforces their beliefs onto the population of Germany, raising their children with a xenophobic mindset, clouding their views with anti-Semitic beliefs. After Hitler seized power, the school curriculum changed drastically. It was designed to influence the youth’s mind. Soon, every class began with a “Heil Hitler” salute. These tactics were used to force acceptance of the Nazi beliefs. He truly believed that “no boy or girl should leave school without complete knowledge of the necessity and meaning of blood purity” (Trueman, CN). Likewise, teachers used a

   The Merchant of Venice features a Jewish character that is abused and slandered by nearly every character in the play. Throughout the play the behavior of these characters seems justified. In this way, The Merchant of Venice appears to be an anti-Semitic play. However, The Merchant of Venice contains several key instances, which can be portrayed in a way that criticizes anti-Semitism. The first instance occurs in Act 1, scene 3 when the audience realizes that Shylock has every right to be extremely angry with Antonio. The second instance occurs when Shylock breaks out of his one-dimensional character form in Act 3, scene 1 in an extremely powerful speech that attacks the

Also like him and all Jews he is a heartless, greedy, deceitful individual due to his Jewish heritage. This Jew has been heard of all through the streets of Venice for his inconceivable bond with Antonio Bellizzi. So why did Shylock attempt to murder Antonio? Maybe it was just human nature, or maybe he is a villain who has no feelings and only cares for other’s pain and money.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare portrays Shylock as a victim throughout the play, but as he seeks revenge towards the Christians and everyone who has done him wrong, Shylock defends himself with some villainous behaviour. To a modern audience, the discrimination and suffering Shylock experiences, place him as a victim. Throughout the play, Shylock, a Jewish money lender, is perceived as a greedy and miserly man due to his Jewish culture. In Shakespeare's time, exploitation of Jews was common; particularly in Venice as it was an anti-Semitic city. However, Jews thought of themselves as victims of harassment and oppression. Shylock has been discriminated against, but nevertheless seeks revenge on people who have done him wrong which displays another side to Shylock. Therefore, Shylock is viewed as a victim and a villain, but more of a victim because of the abuse he has suffered.

   Though William Shakespeare accurately portrays both Christianity and Judaism in his play The Merchant of Venice, the characters in the play do not represent their religions well. A reader unfamiliar with these religions could easily misinterpret flaws in a character's nature as the teachings of his religion. After a preliminary glance at the play, one would assume that Shakespeare wrote unjustly of the two religions depicted therein. However, Shakespeare had to write the play to please his audience, so he added a twist. By making characters not wholly perfect in their faith, in compliance with reality, Shakespeare was able to add the insults and bigotry and anti-Semitic feelings

Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice, there is a strong theme of prejudice. Portia has to deal with prejudice against her sex, the Prince of Morocco has to deal with prejudice against his race but the character that is most discriminated against is Shylock. He is hated for being a Jew and a money-lender, but Shakespeare has not made Shylock a character easy to sympathise with. He appears to be mean and cruel and it seems as though he loves money above all things. However during the play there are moments when Shakespeare gives Shylock speeches which show his humanity. In these moments, the audience is made to feel sorry