Merchant of Venice
Prejudice: The Merchant of Venice has been labeled an anti-Semetic play by some critics, but this is far from the only way to look at it. The character of Shylock seems, outwardly, to be the villain of the play. He sets up a plan to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, who, outwardly, seems like a good Christian. The story, however, is much deeper than this. Shakespeare gives reasons for Shylock’s actions—if they are acts of hatred, it is not unfounded hatred. Instead, it is clear that the Antonio has given Shylock ample reason to seek revenge. Further, many of the Christian characters exhibit the same behaviors which they persecute Shylock for. Upon examination of Shylock’s motives and the actions of the Christians in the play, it is not Shylock’s Jewishness which is being criticized, but the hypocrisy shown by the Christian characters. The normal first reaction to Shylock’s character is that he is cruel and evil because of his un-Christian hatred for Antonio. However, it is actually Antonio who shows an unfounded hatred. As Anne Barton points out in the introduction, “Treated as something inhuman, a ‘dog’ or a ‘cur,’ Shylock not unnaturally responds...with tooth and claw” (The Riverside Shakespeare, page285). Shylock
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Antonio Christians, Act IV, Act III, Richard III, Jewish Shylock, Bassanio Commend, Revenge Christian, Bassanio Portia, Merchant Venice, Christians Shakespeare, pound flesh, christian characters, trial scene, merchant venice, eye pity losses, prince morocco, revenge christian, seek revenge, antonio shylock, love bassanio, unfounded hatred,
Approximate Word count = 3267
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)
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