Much has been argued regarding the existent of anti-Semitism and the general disdain for Jewry supposedly apparent in the plays of William Shakespeare. Time and again his work is held up as representative of that which we - with our 21st century sensibilities - have been educated to abhor and disavow. The hatred of man because of race, color or creed has, within the collective conscience been largely rejected. The fostering of a self-regulating society has engrained contemporary sensibilities through the policy of political correctness: a body politic of public consciousness that wasn’t apparent in 16th century England or anywhere else in the western world for that matter. All were liable to open ridicule via the medium of theatre, be they king or pauper, man or woman, Moore or Jew as evidenced by the writing of the period. Everybody and everything - much to the delight of the paying public and the disdain of the censor - was fair game. The subject – Jew, Moore etc. - is irrelevant, as the subjects themselves are simply the masks upon which the foil of disdain is played. Whether xenophobic, racist, misogamist or anti-Semitic - or any other form of depredation - Shakespeare’s writing, rather than guilty of one, is representative of all. Shakespeare uses the Jew as a representation rather than as an example and therefore, can be forgiven for what we today would class as anti-Semitism. The dearth of Jewry at this particular period of history in England supports this and
Racism seems to be a big concern in Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello. Because the hero of the play is an outsider, a Moor, we have an idea how blacks were regarded in England, in Elizabethan times. There are many references that bring about the issue of racism from the very beginning to the end. In the tragedy, where Othello is coming from is not mentioned, yet through the descriptions the reader is informed that he belongs to one of the Eastern nationalities such as African, Ottoman Turk or Arab. In this paper I am going to analyze some episodes involving a prejudicial, racist attitude and try to discuss whether Shakespeare was a racist or not. Even though the play is full of offensive definitions of black
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
Jews are a standout amongst the most stereotyped religious social orders ever, with the media every now and again utilizing negative pictures at whatever point they write about Judaism and the Jewish race. History demonstrates that Jews were constrained from their country and turned into an itinerant individuals, spreading all through Europe. Regarded as untouchables in Europe, local people were suspicious of the Jews and made numerous myths and pessimistic generalizations about them which are propagated today. Numerous limitations on callings were put on the Jewish individuals in the medieval times. The Catholic Church and numerous Christians accepted that loaning cash for premium was a wrongdoing and was prohibited. This pushed Jews into cash giving and rent gathering sort occupations which the congregation saw as second rate. This prompted the generalization that Jews are ravenous, shabby, mean and even degenerate.
Following a military victory, three witches who visit Macbeth prophesize that he will become the Thane of Cawdor, and eventually the King of Scotland. Macbeth’s friend, Banquo, is told that his son will become king in the future. Initially, Macbeth is motivated by his wife, but his hunger for power quickly becomes insatiable. Macbeth’s paranoia continues to rise as he realizes that outsiders will wrest the power and glory from his posterity. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses hand imagery to convey the mental state of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, thereby reversing their gender roles as the play progresses.
Anti-Semitism is the discrimination against Jewish people as individuals and as a group. (A Brief History of Anti-Semitism) People may think that anti-Semitism began with Adolf Hitler but they are mistaken. There is so much evidence of anti-Semitism as far back as the ancient world. (History.com, n.d.) There are three examples of anti-Semitism in Europe prior to World War One that I will discuss.
The issue of race is one filled with controversy and passion, even today in the twenty-first centaury. In today’s day and age it is more shuttle and underground then it was in its most recent ‘hay-day’. In our time today we see it as more of a shameful, offensive and intolerant thing, but it was the norm in the early 15th and 16th century. Today those people that are outwardly racist are seen as outcasts. In this essay I will tempt to show how even though it was the norm in Victorian England, Shakespeare already had another mind set, and was trying in this creative way that the mind set of the people was not correct even for that time. How and why did Shakespeare purposely portray Othello the Moor as a tragic hero, like Hamlet or King
Although Othello is set in Venice and Cyprus, the attitudes and values shared in the text are probably reflective of the attitudes and values of Shakespeare's own society. It is difficult to assess the attitudes and values of people in sixteenth-century Britain to the relatively few blacks living amongst them. We are given an insight into those attitudes and values through the representation of race and
‘The Prioress’ Tale’ in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a piece of literary work that emphasizes Christianity while conspicuously emanating anti-Semitism undertones. The Prioress’ unwavering devotion to Mary at the start of her tale provides the reader with an understanding of the Christian culture at this time. With an understanding of the Christian culture, the Prioress’ prejudice towards Judaism is portrayed as less incriminating. This understanding places the blame for the Prioress’ anti-Semitism ideals on the social influence of the Christian culture. ‘The Prioress’ Tale’ displays anti-Semitism undertones through the favoritism of Christianity over Judaism, the murder of the young Christian boy, and the terminology used to reference the Jewish community.
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.
The play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Shakespeare effectively engages the modern audience through the means of comedic conventions within themes and characters. Comedy conventions such as racial and cultural slurs don’t engage the audience as successfully as they did during the 16th century. Since then, our perceptions have changed because of the impacts of historic events. However, the use of double entendre and gender roles continue to amuse modern day audiences. The Merchant of Venice is classified as a problem play/comedy because it deals with contentious social issues between the characters on stage, who typically represent conflicting points of view within a realistic social context along with comedic conventions. Written by the illustrious William Shakespeare about a merchant of Venice who must default in a large loan provided by an abused Jewish moneylender. Shakespeare uses some of the fundamental aspects of society in conjunction with subtle comedic conventions in order to appeal to a modern audience.
Along with being translated into every language, Shakespeare’s words reach and are accepted by multiple races and cultures (McMillan). A reason William Shakespeare is accepted by multiple races could be the fact that he does not ignore the issues and “tensions” between them and instead makes light of them by including them in his plays such as Othello and The Merchant of Venice. He addresses the struggles between different colors and religions. He never takes a designated side; he simply tells a story which is what has helped him be so well accepted (“Race – Introduction”).
Whether or not Shakespeare endorses the anti-Semitism of the Christian characters in the play has been much debated and still remains as a question among the readers. Jews in Shakespeare’s England were a marginalized group, and Shakespeare’s contemporaries would have been very familiar with portrayals of Jews as villains and objects of mockery. Shakespeare certainly draws on this anti-Semitic tradition in portraying Shylock, exploiting Jewish stereotypes for comic effect on the
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which with time will lead to AIDS. AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. HIV/AIDS is the most destructive health crisis of modern times. (“How HIV and AIDS Affect Populations”) This virus came from chimpanzees who had SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus), which was transmitted to humans and mutated into HIV. (“What is HIV/AIDS?”) HIV enters the bloodstream through mucous membranes. HIV can enter through the lining of the rectum, walls of the vagina, and the urethra, which is the passageway to the penis. HIV can also enter through the nose, mouth, and throat. (“Having HIV-AIDS is Like a Death Sentence”)
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is a perplexing story of dark humor, race, religion, identity, love, and justice. Generally, most people understand The Merchant of Venice as a comedy about a bitter and outcasted Jewish moneylender named Shylock who seeks revenge against a Christian merchant who has failed to pay his loan back. However, there are many different perspectives on whether The Merchant of Venice is a comedy or a tragedy depending on one’s views on the difference between race and religion. If one views the story as a comedy, it is a dark comedy full of many problems, especially the controversial subject matter of anti-Semitic attitudes of its Christian characters. If one views it as a tragedy, it is a tragedy that concludes with majority of its characters in a “happy ending”—that is if one agrees that Jessica’s decision of love over betraying her father and giving up her Jewish identity is indeed a happy ending.
The U.S. beer industry is a highly concentrated industry since two large firms (Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors) occupy a significant market share. As the craft beer industry experiences an explosive growth, the competition becomes fierce. As the largest craft brewery and the seventh largest brewery in the United States, the Boston Beer Company is facing growing competitive threats from larger breweries and premium imported beer companies, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, MillerCoors, Heineken, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium Brewing, and Crown Imports. More than that, it has to face the competitive challenges from the small breweries, which are growing rapidly and want to surpass the Boston Beer Company. Samuel Adams produced by the Boston Beer Company is one of the most popular craft beer because it has won more awards in the beer tasting competitions than any other brewery in the world since 2000 (Dess et al. C129). As the competition within the craft beer industry, the Boston Beer Company has to figure out a way to maintain growth, increase customer awareness, and continue to brew flavorful beers that customers enjoy.