The Merchant of Venice: Hath not a Jew Mercy?

Kevin Jacoby

Many of William Shakespeare's plays have sparked controversy. Probably
the one that has sparked the most controversy is The Merchant of Venice, which
many intellectuals have dubbed an anti-Semitic play. The character that this
discussion centers around is Shylock, the rich moneylender Jew. The problem
with most of these anti-Semitic arguments is that they lack the perspective of
the sixteenth century audience. Throughout Shakespeare's The Merchant of
Venice (M of V), the audience's perception of Shylock moves between utter hatred
and varying amounts of pity. In contrast to today's audience, the original
sixteenth century audience saw Shylock's religion as his biggest shortcoming.
Our first glimpse of Shylock's character comes in Act I, scene 3, where
Shylock reveals to the audience why he hates Antonio. The first reason he gives
of why he hates Antonio is because he is a Christian. (I. iii. 43) This to the......

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Title: The Merchant Of Venice: Hath Not A Jew Mercy?
Approximate Word Count: 1982
Approximate Pages: 8 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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