But the event renewed the people’s hatred for the Jewish people. It is said that Shakespeare fed off of that hatred and gave it the character ’Shylock’ in the famous play ‘The Merchant of Venice’. The play is about a merchant, named Antonio, who wants to help his love-struck best friend, Bassanio court the woman he loves by lending him money to pay for her gifts but, Antonio has put all his money into over-seas ventures. So instead of lending him money Antonio said Bassanio could use his credit. Bassanio asked to lend the money from Shylock, a Jewish usurer.
The two novels, Christopher Marlowe’s ‘The Jew of Malta’ and William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’, the main characters are Jews, a characteristic that makes the comparison of the books easier. However, the way the characters are presented has made the two stories have deep and active anti-Semitic notions and messages. Right from the beginning of the play, we can see some clear negative stereotypes towards Jews. Barabbas is undoubtedly portrayed as a man who loves money to an extent that he seems addicted to them. In the opening, we see a merchant, counting his money with passion, and later on complaining about not having made enough by his recent business activities.
Shakespeare's England was not a very accepting society when it came to foreigners. Shakespeare, through the captivating play Othello, addresses and reflects these racist issues during the 1600s, while Good Will Hunting reveals the inherent human condition. Both texts highlight the fact that our fear of change, our fear of threats cause us to alienate outsiders. In Shakespeare's England, racially different people challenged the status quo and thus were seen as a threat that must be resisted. Shakespeare reflects this as Othello's and Desdemona's marriage, black man and white woman, is seen as “against all rules of nature” although it simply is just a change in tradition.
Ezra stressed that marriages to pagan was deeply offensive. He taught that in order to establish and build the Jewish identity, Jew should only marry within their community (Niswonger, 1988). Niswonger states that Ezra was not only a scribe, but “a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses (1988, p.55). Ezra stresses the importance of the oral traditions of the Synagogues. The lecture teaches us that Ezra was an instrumental in the acceptance of the Torah, the Jewish bible as their cannon (Price, 2008).
Synopsis of Anti-Semitism I believe that the film “The Longest Hatred” was intended to educate people about the history of anti-Semitism, and to help people understand why it remains today. Anti-Semitism is difficult to understand. Its roots lie deep in history. Even though the term of Anti-Semitism was not coined until Wilhelm Marr first used it in 1879, the people of Germany had long been taught to fear and resent Jewish people. Hitler used this hatred by promising to rid Germany of the “Jew Devil”.
Discuss the role of Herod and Pilate in Luke's passion narrative The role of Herod and Pilate in Luke's passion narrative can be described in many different ways. Pilate often referred to as Pontius was a Roman governor of Judea during the reign of Tiberius Caesar. The people of Jerusalem did not think very highly of him, and unfortunately the feeling was mutual. He had proven his distaste for the Jews by authorizing a raid of their Temple treasury in order to build an aqueduct into the city. Herod was known as Antipas was the son of Herod the Great and brother to Herod Archelaus.
Firstly, shylock is seen to be a racist person in this play who is being racist towards Christian people like Antonio. “I have him for he is a Christian” this is showing that he has something again Christian people. This is very appalling to the audience as he is very rude to Christian people. Shylocks speech “be nominated for an equal pound of your fair flesh,” I will have the heart of him if he forfeit” this shows that he wants a pound of flesh near Antonio’s heart.to be cut off and taken.” this proves to us that shylock is a villain as he is heartless and doesn’t think of others. This quote suggests that if Antonio the Christian won’t bring the money on time to shylock, then he will take a pound of flesh of Antonio’s body, showing cruelty.
Stephanie Webber How far does Shakespeare present Shylock as a victim or a villain? “The Merchant of Venice”, one of Shakespeare’s famous plays, heavily and unsubtly explores the issue of prejudice, through a Jewish character called Shylock. It was written during Elizabethan England. Historically, during this time the Jews had been banished for 300 years. As a result, Shakespeare’s audiences’ knowledge and opinion of Jews would have been solely from prejudice and rumour, not first-hand experience.
In Act 4 Scene 1, Shakespeare is telling us about the trial between Antonio and Shylock, in which Shylock hangs on to the legality of his bond and the justice, rather than showing mercy and forgive as it’s said in the morals. Throughout the whole scene Shakespeare is building up to the culmination in which Shylock and Antonio switch places. But the court shows mercy, and in that way Shakespeare’s showing the moral superiority of Christians over Jews, but however the mercy the court is harsh and arguably, is not even mercy at all. The Duke plays a major role in Shakespeare’s hands to show how Jews are morally inferior to Christians in this play, as it is him who is giving mercy to Shylock after he refused to do so to Antonio. However, the Duke is not that pure.
The merchant, a Christian named Antonio, requested a loan of money to satisfy the desires of a friend, Bassanio. Antonio acquired this money from a money-lender, Shylock, who we soon question the generosity and kindness of this character when he demands a pound of Antonio’s flesh if he doesn’t repay the money to Shylock without interest, which is rare for Shylock. Both Michael Radford’s adaptation and Shakespeare’s play manipulates the audience to think two things. Shylock’s a villain or Shylock is in fact a victim because of the anti-Semitic Christians. Shakespeare and Radford made the spectators of the play/film give Shylock a chance.