Deception and Destruction in Venice

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how, in both "Othello" and "The Merchant of Venice", Shakespeare associates Venice with a disturbing existence of sadism. It looks at how this idea of sadism is prevalent throughout both plays and can especially be seen in the relationships between the persecutory culture of the Christians and those outsiders who have been spurned by this Venetian community.

From the Paper:

"The outcasts in these two plays seek relief in their evil and destructive power. This malign power primarily manifests itself in those who are afflicted by the intense stereotyping of others and the sadistic persecution that makes categorizing others possible. While it can be inferred, through Shylock, that Shakespeare incorporates this idea of sadism because of racism and anti-Semitism in his plays, it is also possible to infer that the sadistic nature of characters such as Iago is a result of something entirely different. And though Shylock's sadistic behavior stems from his obsession with Antonio, it is also a function of the persecutions visited on him by all of Christian Venice."

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