Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and antisemitism as shown in the Essay

Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and antisemitism as shown in the treatment of Shylock - Essay Example But unlike Marlowe, Shakespeare endowed his villain Shylock with some very human qualities that evoke much sympathy. (Glock, 144-50) The result is an ambivalence toward Shylock that makes his role one of the most dramatically complex and compelling among all of Shakespeare's characters, and one that reinforces the sense of this work as a problem play. (Oldrieve, 87) Next to Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice is Shakespeare's most frequently performed play. The reason for its apparent popularity may be in part because it is perennially a required text set for national examinations that students in British secondary schools take. It is less popular in the United States because of the anti-Semitism that the play incorporates, although many producers, directors, and actors have argued that while the play contains elements of anti-Semitism, it is not in itself anti-Semitic. Recently, some scholars have tried to show that, on the contrary, Shakespeare explores ways to reconcile the age-old antagonisms between Christians and Jews.( Glock, 144-50) Shylock, of course, is not the only important character in The Merchant of Venice, which takes its title from Antonio, the Venetian merchant who borrows from Shylock to help his friend, Bassanio. Portia, the rich heiress whom Bassanio courts, is another major character, and the relationship between her and her suitors also raises important moral issues. Unfortunately, in the history of anti-Semitism, Shylock has since become a symbol for a heartless, money-grubbing Jew. Heartless he may be in act 4, but earlier he offers Antonio a loan at no interest in an attempt to win his friendship (1.3.134-37). Usury is the lending of money at interest. It was considered to be inappropriate for a Christian to do this, and as a result, Jews who were in the business of usury were looked down upon. Antonio, who lends money freely, appears to be the charitable Christian, in contrast to Shylock, who preys upon the hardship of others in order to further increase his own material wealth. The perception created by Antonio's argument is that Shylock hates someone for their following a Christian virtue, which implies that Shylock is against Christianity. The demonization of Shylock proceeds by three stages: Shylock is stripped of his name. In the entire play his referred to by name only three times; in the trial scene, the Duke twice identifies him by name, and Portia does so once. In the course of the rest of the play he is called "the Jew" or "dog Jew"(II,viii,14) or "currish Jew"(IV,I,133-34). Shylock is reduced to something other than human. Gratiano curses Shylock with "O, be thou damned, inexecrable dog!"(IV,i,128) Shylock is equated with the devil. In (II,ii,24-28), Launcelot Gobbo identifies Shylock as "a kind of devil", "the devil himself", and "the very devil incarnation". The images of Jews as blood-thirsty murderers of Jesus who snatch innocent Christian children for slaughter in bizarre Passover rituals seems to provide a potent back-drop for the demonic traits heaped upon Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock is characterized nearly throughout the play as an evil, murderous man. This image of him is supported by the excessive bloodlust that Shylock exhibits. (Rosen, 89-93) The audience is made to hate Shylock early on. In Act 1, scene 3, Shylock tells