Is The Merchant of Venice anti-Semitic?

[mona amon]

You didn't find the mock cuckold scene that Portia and Nerissa played on their husbands funny?! (Act 5, Sc 1) - YesNo

Um.. no. I know it's funny, but it doesn'i make me laugh, if you know what I mean. This applies to most of the other 'funny' bits as well.

You might not have been laughing at him because he is a Jew but his obsession with money is a typical Jewish stereotype, and Shakespeare's audience would be aware of this, hence why they found it amusing. Modern day audiences may not associate the stereotype with anti-semitism but Shakespeare is playing on racial stereotypes for laughs. I'm not saying that this makes him a bad playwright or makes the play bad- all comic writers play on one stereotype or another- but Shylock's race is inextricably linked to his greediness. - Kelby Lake

That's true, and I've no doubt Shakespeare started out to give his audience a very 'typical evil jew', but it didn't work out that way. In the end Shakespeare couldn't deny him his humanity. While he has a few characteristics of the stereotype, he also greatly transcends the stereotype.

However, after reading Marlowe's Jew of Malta today and comparing the two, I'm beginning to think there's no simple answer to the question. Barabas is much more villanous and much more of a stereotype than Shylock, but the rest of the folks in the play (christians, as well as muslims for good measure) are just as bad as he is. In Merchant of Venice on the other hand, the christians are portrayed as more noble, and this does give the play an anti semitic slant when compared to The Jew of Malta. They may bully the poor jew a bit, but they believe in mercy and forgiveness, as opposed to the revenge disguised as justice which the jew so stubbornly clings to. The nobleness is obviously undercut by the fact that mercy and forgiveness work very much in the christian's favour in this case, but I don't know if Shakespeare realised that.

[YesNo]

That's true, and I've no doubt Shakespeare started out to give his audience a very 'typical evil jew', but it didn't work out that way. In the end Shakespeare couldn't deny him his humanity. While he has a few characteristics of the stereotype, he also greatly transcends the stereotype.

However, after reading Marlowe's Jew of Malta today and comparing the two, I'm beginning to think there's no simple answer to the question. Barabas is much more villanous and much more of a stereotype than Shylock, but the rest of the folks in the play (christians, as well as muslims for good measure) are just as bad as he is. In Merchant of Venice on the other hand, the christians are portrayed as more noble, and this does give the play an anti semitic slant when compared to The Jew of Malta. They may bully the poor jew a bit, but they believe in mercy and forgiveness, as opposed to the revenge disguised as justice which the jew so stubbornly clings to. The nobleness is obviously undercut by the fact that mercy and forgiveness work very much in the christian's favour in this case, but I don't know if Shakespeare realised that.

I started reading Marlowe's play: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/901/901-h/901-h.htm

The Christians, especially Antonio, with their mercy in The Merchant of Venice and Shylock representing the Jews with his law seem to me to imitate the portrayal of the Jews in the Gospels. Also Antonio's trial reminds me of Jesus' trial before Pilate. I think Shakespeare intended this parallel.

Dinitia Smith's article "It's No More Mr Nice Guy for Shylock (or Shakespeare)" http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/19/mo...re.html?src=pm suggests a shift away from a sympathetic view of Shylock to one that could be labeled antisemitic by an audience.

[Delta40]

I noticed Shylock's wailing about the ducats and his daughter and thought 'gee the money seems to be more important than his daughter' and wondered whether it was an intentional emphasis by Shakespeare on the character of Shylock but I missed the point of the Christian ducats. So thanks for that Mona amon. I'm ploughing my way through the play and it's so helpful reading this thread as I go along.

[Delta40]

Ok I just finished reading the play. I loved the court scene and especially Shylock's speech in Act IV Scene I What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong?

I was a little confused about Launcelot Gobbo's dialogue with Jessica and Lorenzo in Act III scene V. If anyone cares to enlighten me?

[YesNo]

I did find amusing Launcelot's economic objection to converting Jews to Christianity on the ground that it would increase the demand for pork without increasing the supply.

[Charles Darnay]

That was great. Also he apparently got a maid pregnant, or might have.

[YesNo]

And the maid was a Moor.

LORENZO

I shall answer that better to the commonwealth than
you can the getting up of the negro's belly: the
Moor is with child by you, Launcelot.

LAUNCELOT

It is much that the Moor should be more than reason:
but if she be less than an honest woman, she is
indeed more than I took her for.

This sort of humor helps in viewing The Merchant of Venice as not antisemitic since one can easily see this as comic relief. Of course the Moors were probably not liked any more than the Jews in Shakespeare's day.

Since I think the play is antisemitic, I should ask myself what would it take to make the whole thing a humorous irony. I think a different ending for Shylock would be all that was necessary along with some reconciliation with his daughter, Jessica.

[Delta40]

The clown seems to me to play a vital role here. I interpreted it as some kind of sarcasm but as he is a clown it must be in the context of comic relief. I'm just about to start Love's Labours Lost and there are clowns in that too so they obviously serve a purpose -not unlike the witches in Macbeth. Effective devices to cast a different light on the character/situation or alter the atmosphere etc. Forgive me as I am new to this realm

[YesNo]

I don't know what the clowns signify, but I'm glad you brought attention to Launcelot, Delta40. I forgot about his pork comment until I reread it. I'm new to this as well. I watched Othello tonight and Twelfth Night last night. They were both pretty good. It was the first time I saw either of them.

[mona amon]

And the maid was a Moor.

LORENZO

I shall answer that better to the commonwealth than
you can the getting up of the negro's belly: the
Moor is with child by you, Launcelot.

LAUNCELOT

It is much that the Moor should be more than reason:
but if she be less than an honest woman, she is
indeed more than I took her for.

This sort of humor helps in viewing The Merchant of Venice as not antisemitic since one can easily see this as comic relief. Of course the Moors were probably not liked any more than the Jews in Shakespeare's day.

Since I think the play is antisemitic, I should ask myself what would it take to make the whole thing a humorous irony. I think a different ending for Shylock would be all that was necessary along with some reconciliation with his daughter, Jessica.

Yes, I too feel the people glorifying the virtues of mercy didn't show Shylock much mercy.

I wonder if he made the maid a Moor just so he could have that bit of word play.

[YesNo]

The line, "It is much that the Moor should be more than reason", seems good enough reason to make her a Moor to me as well.

[Charles Darnay]

Launcelot - like many of Shakespeare's clowns - is a comic mirroring or parody of what is happening in the main plot.

Compare Jessica leaving Shylock to Launcelot leaving Shylock.
Compare the strict virtue Portia is forced to live by - as set up by her father with her servants - both Narissa and the maid - who can so freely give themselves away.

I don't know why she is a Moor of if there is meant to be anything more to it. You could begin to draw some parallels between how the Christians interact with the Jew and how the Christian (Launcelot) interacts with the Moor - but these start to become a stretch of the text because we know next to nothing about this maid.

[Delta40]

That's true and yet despite Portia's strict virtue, I was amazed at her and Nerissa's sly deception dressed as men!

[Charles Darnay]

She was free of her father at that point. Her father's law died when Bassanio became her lord.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I'm kind of confused as to how so many people see Merchant as not being anti-semetic. The time it was written and how racism may have been common back then, the author's intent, etc. make no difference in the actual work. Shylock was portrayed in many negative ways because he was a Jew. That would seem to me an indication of anti-semitism.