Anti-Semitism in "Merchant of Venice"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" contains elements of anti-Semitism when depicting Shylock as a stereotypical Jew. Because he is a Jewish usurer, Shylock appears tight-fisted and materialistic. It looks at how Antonio and other characters hold grudges against him because of his trade, leading the audience to shun him as well. Shylock is also degraded because of his faith, as characters consider him dog like and devilish. It also shows how casting an even darker shadow onto Shylock are the Christians, whom Shakespeare constructs as characters of righteousness and courage.

From the Paper:

"In Merchant of Venice, Christians are shown in a light of goodness as they defend Antonio's life, while Shylock is seen as a bloodthirsty murderer. In the midst of Shylock's excitement over Antonio's death sentence, the Christians beg for Shylock to spare Antonio's life. While Shylock is shown here as the murderous villain, the Christians are seen in more of a heroic light. Instinctively, the audience equates Shylock, the murderer, as the "bad guy" and the Christians, who act in a heroic manner, as the "good guys." Because he is a usurer, it is automatically assumed that Shylock intended to murder Antonio to rid himself of future money discrepancies. "

More papers on Anti-Semitism in "Merchant of Venice":

• Essay # 35932 : "Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice"
• Essay # 33623 : "Merchant Of Venice"
• Argumentative Essay # 4770 : "Shylock, Shakespeare and the "Merchant of Venice"

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