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Who is the merchant of Venice?
Although Shylock is the best-known character from the play, Shylock is not a merchant. He is a usurer-which is the only job Jews were allowed to have in Venice back then. A usurer is a person who lends money and makes money from it by charging interest. The merchant in The Merchant of Venice is Antonio. A merchant sells and trades.
What play by Shakespeare discusses the prejudice against Jews?
The Merchant of Venice is one, but their are references in other works.
How many times does the word Jew appear in Shakespeare?
65 times, all but 8 in Merchant of Venice. "Jews" appears once, "Jew's" ten times, all in Merchant of Venice. "Hebrew" appears three times.
Is The Merchant of Venice anti semitical?
Not particularly it told of the disrespect there was for Jews and it also told of the dishonorable behavior of the Christian merchant followed by the dishonorable behavior of the Christian Judiciary.
What has the author Hermann Sinsheimer written?
Hermann Sinsheimer has written: 'Shylock' -- subject(s): Jews, Jews in literature, Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Merchant of Venice
Where did Jews live in The Merchant of Venice?
The Italian word ghetto describes a part of town specifically set aside for the Jews to live in. They were required to be in this part of town before night.
What was the character of Shylock in Act2 scene 3?
Shylock is a Jewish banker in "The Merchant of Venice." The character is often cited as an example of an anti-Semitic stereotype, and the nickname "Shylock" is often applied to loan sharks. During Shakespeare's time, Christians were barred from charging interest on loans, and Jews were barred from owning land, so Christian merchants often relied on Jews for a ready supply of cash for borrowing.
What scene does Shylock give that big speech on how Christians and Jews are alike in Shakespeare's play 'The Merchant of Venice'?
Scene 1, Act 3.
Why were Jews originally the main money lenders?
Because the Christian Church didnt allow usury and it wasnt against the Jewish faith, so people went to the Jews making them the main money lenders. Also, the European trade-guilds tended to keep Jews out of other occupations, so they had few possibilities for livelihood.
What is some criticism and critical opinion of the play 'The Jew of Malta'?
Like Shylock and the Merchant of Venice, it has overtones that are anti-Semitic. 1) It mocks Jews (as well as Christianity and Islam). 2) It portrays Jews as controlling all the money. 3) It portrays a Jew as immoral and murderous. Hitler would approve of this.
What was polo's religious background?
Roman Catholic. all Italians at the time were, excepting possibly Jews who were among other things, pawnbrokers ( Mr. Shylock, the merchant of Venice)
Why does Shakespeare mention Jews at all?
The Shylock subplot of Merchant of Venice turns on a contract for the lending and repayment of money. The Jews were a group of people notoriously involved in this business (banking). It thus made sense to have the moneylender be a Jew. In addition, Jews were treated contemptuously by European society, which fact is referred to in the play and provides Shylock with a motivation and allows his humiliation and destruction at the end. Merchant of Venice is the only one of Shakespeare's plays to have Jewish characters in it, and they are there for a reason. Contrast this with Christopher Marlowe's play The Jew of Malta, in which the Jewish villain is just villainous without any subtext or explaination.
