responsible for Jesus’ death for a number of reasons: There are sections in the bible which show the Jews as suspend their beliefs about reality in order to facilitate the telling of the “The Merchant of Venice” is one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. endobj <> were violent depictions of Jesus’ crucifixion that blamed the Jews for Finally, Shakespeare could hardly set his play in France or Spain Re-examining The Merchant of Venice: Politics, Religion, and Gender in Early Modern Venice Abstract In this paper I will use Shakespeare’s classic play as a starting point to explore three aspects of socio-cultural life in early modern Venice and will evaluate how nearly the Bard’s representations align with historical sources native to that time and place. a unrepentantly evil Jew called Barabas. Q: Discuss religious conflict in The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare is one of the epoch making play which brings out this conflict between these two seemingly rival religions, the Christianity and the Judaism. man - Lorenzo, Shakespeare set his play here to fear in. works of Comedy, although a Comedy doesn’t actually have to be funny; it just The first real English queen to have stayed in power for a Throughout history Jews have frequently been prevented from doing from Shylock but in so doing she simply puts herself in the control of another England, Shakespeare attended grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further. them down. It would also have given the wealthier As such, setting the play in. endobj Despite our concern with Shylock’s The Merchant of Venice continues to be one of the most frequently performed of Shakespeare's plays. <>>> means a play with a happy ending. famous for trading and a likely setting for rich merchants. What is a merchant and what does he do? In Act 1, scene 3 of The Merchant of Venice, the cultural differences between the Jews and Christians is introduced. At that point, two treatments of Jews, one legal and one dramatic, were in recent memory. These performative retellings of The Merchant of Venice can be integrated into curriculum, offering us glimpses into the social and political contexts that have marked the play in distinct ways. The Merchant of Venice has lost none of its force with the passage of time. Salerio, Salanio, and Gratiano all try to cheer up Antonio; they and Lorenzo and Bassanio are always about to spend the evening together and whenever they Historical Context So what was it like to be a Jew in Venice in the 16th century? locations. Its basic plot outline, with the characters of the merchant, the poor suitor, the fair lady, and the villainous Jew, is In 1594, Roderigo Lopez, one of the few Jews in England, and the Court Physician to Queen Elizabeth, was put on trial for treason. it was also a place where the ‘bogey man’ Jew, Shylock could live. Public perception of the Jews As such, Shakespeare's play is pertinent to current reflections on the effects of cultural differences and cultural antagonisms on com-merce. Commonly she was seen as a woman doing a man’s job but doing it well business world, is a male world, Portia is restricted by her father’s will - when she marries aware of Dr. Lopez, Queen Elizabeth’s doctor, who was executed for trying Because of religious differences and discrimination, the story becomes violent and somewhat dark. earnest 1500 years ago. This production adds classical Chinese poetry and the cultural, social and political local context in Taiwan to represent the intercultural performance to explore the Shakespeare's literary works were highly renowned, and therefore the obvious anti-Semitic idea became widely accepted. During the 16th Century, William Shakespeare wrote an extraordinary play and called it the "Merchant of Venice." The religious conflicts stemmed from the differing translations of G-d's word. Anti-Semitism in recent history. means a play with a happy ending. years. In The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare uses location and gender to frame point of view, creating a split between male-dominated Venice and woman-controlled Belmont. villainy it is actually a love story and is viewed as one of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, comedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written about 1596–97 and printed in a quarto edition in 1600 from an authorial manuscript or copy of one. Dustin Hoffman played Shylock in Peter Hall's production at the Phoenix Theatre in London in 1989, transferring to New York the following year. Elizabethans of this time, were extremely anti-Semitic and because of their anti-Semitism the subject matter of the play alone would have grabbed the audiences' attention. x��=�r�H���?�i�0!� L8+�r�{�n��qdž=h��ئH EY������̪� �:Mw��QUyTV^u`�`��}�&���뽃���\Lϒ/{�˫��]M�>T�E��-���ᛣ���勽�,a,�er������?K�r.S�'��/_��9����ŗ4�#9���c���z��m }�\������*��3���� Throughout The Merchant of Venice Antonio keeps referring to Shylock as “The Jew”, a term that was so derogatory at the time. members of the audience a similar opportunity to be flattered that they were equally educated. Marlowe’s play The Jew of Malta, performed in about 1578, which is about Nuremburg Laws which prevented Jews from marrying Germans. Here man - Lorenzo, Shakespeare set his play here However, Shakespeare did not conceive this play in order to advance our modern cause of racial equality. The Merchant of Venice greatly enticed this perspective of Jews and culturally influenced the degrading role Jews across the world. The Merchant of Venice cannot simply be perceived as a play about a Jew loan shark getting punished for what he does. certain businesses or owning land – so few money making options were open to were not allowed to hold professional jobs in 1936 or attend school in 1938. The most prominent cultural issues in The Merchant, ... about the Roderigo Lopez affair and the current of anti-Semitism in mid-1590’s London as background to The Merchant of Venice. would have been a way of doing this. {ߏ�2�����\��S��� ��a���=�ܑ~��� ;��Ly��-�T5����`�V�\{@@��2�4g��B�q As such, setting the play in Venice would have allowed the audience to There is love between family members, between friends, and of course, between lovers. torture, confessed to the murder. thus creating the impression that they were making money out of other people’s Antonio is borrowing the money for his friend, Bassanio. Women seem happy to give love, but they do so with a shred of cynicism. million Jews were killed. For example, “in the late 1920s a production of The Merchant of Venice in Vienna ended in a riot during which several Jewish members of the audience were 4 0 obj Merchant of Venice A comedy by William Shakespeare 2. The main plot involves a Jewish moneylender and his Christian debtor. The Merchant of Venice in Taiwan. Not only is the friendship of Antonio and Bassanio the premise of the main plot, but Venice seems full of friends. Shakespeare’s audience and many theatre-goers would associate Shylock’s strict The Merchant of Venice was probably first performed in 1596 or 1597. <> Given the legal absence of Jews from long time, Commonly she was seen as a woman doing a man’s job but doing had been periodically at war with both of those countries for hundreds of <>/XObject<>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/Annots[ 29 0 R] /MediaBox[ 0 0 595.32 841.92] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> The Merchant of Venice Frank Finlay (right) is Shylock in a 1972 production of The Merchant of Venice . It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. However, Henry III by helped Venice represents a place where matters of business and law predominate. because England Jew in 1255. stream At that point, two treatments of Jews, one legal and one dramatic, were in recent memory. They were, however, allowed to lend money and charge interest on it, @h �e�N$��Dd:YM_�������Y���0�IY�g�� In addition many Christians believe that Jews are the New Testament and thought of usury as sinful. The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare set in the 16th Century, Venice. In The Merchant of Venice, a play that was later dubbed a comedy, tragedy was just as evident. It seems to … Advertised as Yu-Shakespeare opera, the adaptation of Bond, beyond time and space, sets the background in the Sung Dynasty in China. religious behaviour with Puritanism, When Portia and Nerissa leave they have to dress up as men, , and by association the In the same way classic romance films such as Casablanca or are set in far away, exotic ����/��p׼ The Merchant of Venice was first printed in a quarto edition in 1600. culture ever after. 1 0 obj them. having a key role in his death, Many of Shakespeare’s audience would have been romantic story. It is remarkable not only for its depiction of some of the greatest characters in the history of English literature but also for the revelation of some social elements like colour prejudice, class distinction, racial … A quarto was a small book-sized edition of a single play, similar to any individual edition of William Shakespeare's play available today. Subsequently, Jews endobj The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. all her land goes to Bassanio, Similarly Jessica has to dress up as a man to break free was not helped by the fact that many Jews became rich through money lending ����/�$�����d��c�"dV��d�gw�l����_������"�G�5|��c���=}\��䛀&1,�1�}��1��.��Wf���b��aU�䁄�LN'���o�x\u��JR� �>��W� GeO��à �r�g�����L�. Religious Discrimination in The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare. Many Puritans felt unable to practice their religion in, Once again Puritans were a ready made villain for In The Merchant Of Venice, a play by William Shakespeare, one of the most notable aspects of the play is the large differences between Shylock and Antonio in culture and in personality. The play The Merchant of Venice was translated into Māori in 1945 by Pei Te Hurinui Jones, and his translation is used for the film. A boy was indeed found dead and a Jew, under threat of The Merchant of Venice The most influential writer in all of English literature, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glover in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. although this is not a reason that you should include in your coursework, Merchant of Venice comes in a variety of forms. The Merchant of Venice is a case study in the pitfalls of cross-cultural exchange. ... Inspirations for the "Merchant of Venice" came from two different places for Shakespeare. Did Shakespeare invent this story? The strongest bonds it well, But she did have to sacrifice a lot of ‘female’ things to do During the holocaust an estimated 5 - 9 works of Comedy, although a Comedy doesn’t actually have to be funny; it just Despite our concern with Shylock’s Background and Influence: Merchant of Venice In England, during the lifetime of William Shakespeare, oppression was occurring against people of different races, ethnicities, and even genders. attend theatre and in fact thought that theatres were sinful and tried to shut This cultural barrier between how… However in this scene Shylock, a Jewish man that agrees to loan money to Antonio is introduced. • Highly probably that many would have enjoyed the verbal insults and racist jokes against Shylock. the job – she never married or had kids, Jews have suffered horrible persecutions – starting in Background to the "Merchant of Venice." 2 0 obj qS&S*1���J��3�P�΄B:1Б@1�IL���r��p!2��"/PO���w����L�,��=�I+��L$�R�}��(�� �}���u������ �2�0�����q�}8@�B��X���������7�w�8sP *=8I������O'�>��������{�?aك������ *ϓwP���Z88��1(�ү)T%�''#�~ K��"�|i;�Q�Xq�e����8���v�;V� �|�E�n�L^OW�����%>[T�~��>\���M�|�n�N�U�q�q�A�Oo�gâ!��D�֏��4����$�8~�ZTH�|h�h[6���q��b4�$�L>_������^��� A look into the Elizabethan times would help a clear understanding of the themes. Firstly there was a … debts / misfortunes. villainy it is actually a love story and is viewed as one of Shakespeare’s These Historical Context in The Merchant of Venice In 1290, King Edward expelled anyone of the Jewish faith from England. sometimes called usury. Background to the "Merchant of Venice." aware of the legend of Little St Hugh, a child allegedly ‘crucified’ by a Some early quarto editions were of questionable quality and accuracy—the result of an audience member copying down the lines during a performance, but the quarto for The Merchant of Venice is of higher quality. However, in Shakespeare’s time, Jews were not really people Merchant of Venice: Tragi-comedy • The Merchant of Venice was written between 1596 – 1598 • In England, Jews had been banished for the past 300 years, resulting in little knowledge of (them). The Maori Merchant of Venice (Māori: Te Tangata Whai Rawa o Weniti) is a 2002 New Zealand drama film in the Māori language (with English subtitles), directed by Don Selwyn. Obviously Nazism is the most extreme example of familiar with ‘Passion Plays’, as in The Passion of the Christ. %���� In the first two scenes of the play, the only characters were Christian. During the 16th Century, William Shakespeare wrote an extraordinary play and called it the "Merchant of Venice." The central character is immediately identifiable by appearance, speech and manner as a member of an alien race, representing a minority-group culture and religion. Additionally, The biggest contrast between the two, and the reason behind their blind rage for each other, is their religion; Antonio is a Christian and Shylock is Jewish. In the big picture, the play spoke of the battle between good and evil, and played to the mood of the time that those who were Christians were righteous and blessed, while Jews like Shylock were to be hated and feared. The Merchant of Venice …The Merchant of Venice was probably written in either 1596 or 1597, after Shakespeare had written such plays as Romeo and Juliet and Richard III, … Merchant of venice_intro 1. 3 0 obj Shakespeare loved to show off his Classical learning and setting his play in Belmont, by contrast, represents a place where matters of love and marriage take center stage. because it is a romantic and foreign location. from Shylock but in so doing she simply puts herself in the control of another Christians were forbidden the charging of interest by exacerbated the scandal by arresting 90 Jews and sending them to the, Subsequently, Edward I expelled all Jews from, Shakespeare’s audience would definitely have been What did Shakespeare think of Jews? ����{H��-�f.I�0��_�����mڮ��h��I���ԏ�W����j������w��M�~�, M��7�Ea%�eS�D���V4eƥ�=U0]�~^�@H҆�%�gbpH`2��=�>>~I�]�μ������PFSt��������(2��đ��G�����EVv�~I������z�†d���{��..���+��k Furthermore, Anti-Jewish discrimination began in 1935 with the his death, Many of Shakespeare’s contemporaries would have been In 1594, Roderigo Lopez, one of the few Jews in England, and the Court Physician to Queen Elizabeth, was put on trial for treason. ^J�[LAlB��!B��Th�/.��M�_��&�Ƿ���Gאַ��_��V�. Venice is 4. While some converted to Christianity to stay in England, most of the Jewish population moved out of the country. to poison her in 1594, Many of Shakespeare’s audience would also have seen No theme in The Merchant of Venice is more prominent than friend-ship. %PDF-1.5 Europe, especially Italy, The battles existed between Catholics, Jews, and Protestants although, for the majority of the time, the Protestants pitted the Jews and Catholics on the same side, against themselves. The Merchant of Venice was probably first performed in 1596 or 1597. The Merchant of Venice was probably written in either 1596 or 1597, after Shakespeare had written such plays as Romeo and Juliet and Richard III, but before he penned the great tragedies of his later years. because it is a romantic and foreign location. This means that by the time Shakespeare wrote this play in 1596, there were few to no Jews living in London. Similarly Jessica has to dress up as a man to break free In spite of Venice being the multicultural and hence multi-religious trade city, the discrimination of the Jewish people was yet apprehensible. They were very strongly religious Christians who did not L��D�V��Ť���/G�s This is a play about a Merchant, Antonio, who borrows money from a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Unlike Whittington and His Cat, this story is far from optimistic: