The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays and has been widely and broadly discussed and studied all over the world. Many critics have discussed its themes, characters, structure, genre, and other dramatic concerns. In this paper, focus is made on the morality. In an earlier age, The Merchant of Venice was used by anti-Semitic people to support that anti-Semitism is good. Nowadays, it is much more likely to be used to say that anti-Semitism is bad. In fact it says neither; it only says that racism exists, and the more racism exists, the more hatred begets.
1. Villain or the victim
In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is always made known that he is the villain. In the Elizabethan period, the Christians viewed Shylock as
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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 …show more content…
Shylock, again is mistreated due to his religion. In Venice at that time the Christians looked down upon the Jewish people as I have mentioned above. Shakespeare focuses on this point through the tense relationship between Shylock, the Jew and Antonio, the Christian. The tension stems from their religious differences. While Shylock cannot understand the hatred of Jewish people on Antonio and the rest of the Christians, Antonio treats him like a dog and he even expresses it through his word. When Antonio asks Shylock to lend him money, Shylock says: “Fair sir, you spat on me on Wednesday last, you spurn me such a day, another time you called me a dog; and for these courtesies, I’ll lend you thus much money?” Antonio’s reply is “l am like to call thee so again. To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too. If thou wilt lend this money, lend it as to thy friends, for when did friendship take a breed for barren metal of his friend? But lend it rather tho thine enemy, who if he break thou may stay with better face exact the penalty.” Their conversation clearly indicates that even after Shylock does Antonio’s favor, Antonio’s hatred towards him would not get any better, he would still be hostile to Shylock by spitting on him and referring him to a dog. Shakespeare illustrates the morality issue and portrays Shylock as a victim once more through
In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Shylock is very strong minded and is singled out of the play because he is a mean Jew that charges interest. Shylock is very stubborn and determined to keep to his bond; a pound of flesh 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.
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.
Religion was a major factor in a number of Shakespeare’s plays. Religion motivated action and reasoning. In Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” religion was more than a belief in a higher being; it reflected moral standards and ways of living. In the “Merchant of Venice,” “a Christian ethic of generosity, love, and risk-taking friendship is set in pointed contrast with a non-Christian ethic that is seen, from a Christian point of view, as grudging, resentful, and self-calculating.” (Bevington, pg. 74) Although Shakespeare writes this drama from a Christian point of view he illustrates religion by conflicts of the Old Testament and the New Testament in Venetian society and its court of law. These Testaments are tested through the
“There is no doubt that Shylock is a cunning and vengeful man, but nothing can justify the treatment he receives at the hands of the Christians.”
Stereotypes for every different religion, ethnicity, culture, and gender exist among the minds of the human race. These typecasts have ruled this world for as long as there has been diversity among people. In Shakespeare’s comedic tragedy, The Merchant of Venice, one prejudice is very central to the theme. The play is dominantly set in Venice, one of the most liberal cities of the Renaissance era. In this place and time period, anti-Semitism is very much in force. The Jewish people are discriminated against and treated terribly by the Christians living in Venice. Shylock, a wealthy Jew, is mercilessly spurned many times by men like Antonio, a Venetian merchant. In contrast to this blind hatred is the longing and lust associated with
In the early Elizabethan era Shylock was portrayed as an archetypical Jew of that time. He would be played by the performer wearing a red wig and large false nose. This look created the foundations of Shylock’s personality during the Elizabethan era; a comic villain not to be taken seriously or sympathetically, he was the figure of a pantomime.
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
Shylock can be seen as a victim of anti-Semitism and discrimination. He has long suffered at the hands of the Christians, who seize any opportunity to torment him. Shylock has been spat upon merely because he is Jewish and has been called nasty names such as "cutthroat dog". This dehumanising language demonstrates how poorly the Christian society views Jews as being outsiders and filthy people who do not belong to the world. Shylock has also been called ‘Jew’ twenty-two times and ‘Shylock’ only six times in the play. Shakespeare helped maintain the anti-Semitic meanings of the term
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.
Shylock finds joy when roles are reversed, causing people to beg for his mercy. Throughout the play, Christian characters were racist to him, they were constantly disrespecting him due to his Jewish background. However, in Act III Scene III, roles are reversed when their racist antics turn into mercy. The characters want to save Antonio from being harmed, and so they beg Shylock to change his mind:
The Merchant of Venice was created between 1596 and 1598, it was published as a comic, romantic, tragic in 1600. The play has many struggles in it but the main ones are Bassanio's quest to marry Portia and his attempt to free Antonio from Shylock's deal. The idea that Shakespeare's representation of Shylock is unquestionably Anti-Semitic will be impacted in this essay because thought this book Shakespeare portrayed Shylock as Anti-Semitic.
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
did this through Shylock. In Act 3 Scene 3, Shylock tells of how he is
Shakespeare characterised Shylock in such way that he highlights the inequalities of him, them being ungrateful, vengeful, and religious intolerance. As each is explored Shylock is directed towards a harmful act to deem his vengeance upon his greatest rival, Antonio. Shakespeare’s idea in the play tells us mercy is preferable to revenge. In Act 1, Scene 3