Merchant of Venice: Prejudice and Discrimination

Merchant of Venice: Prejudice and Discrimination

1. Shylock’s Treatment

   • Hath Not A Jews Eye speech (Act3, Scene 1)
     • "Hath not a Jew eye?"
       • do we not have eyes to see?
       • emphasis that they are human through imagery
     • "If you prick us, do we not bleed?"
       • "if you tickle us, do we not laugh?"
       • syntactic paralellism
       • shows that they have emotions
       • they feel pain, when hurt
       • rhetorical question
       • obvious answer 'yes'
         • Making the Audience agree
       • Shakespeare 0saking the audience think if they are treating Jews inhumanly
     • "Disgaced me,.hindered me...laughed.. mocked.. scorned...thwarted"
       • cumalitive of verbs
       • what Antoni has done
       • presents him as a victim
       • helps us understand how badly he was treated
     • " the same food,.. the same weapons. same diseases"
       • repetition of "same"
       • reinforcing humanity and how they are similar to Christians
       • how they are not lower or superior to Christians
     • Shylock's Monologue
   • Act1,Scene3: The Deal
     • "You that did void your rheum upon my Beard"
       • flemming on his beard
       • inhumane
       • disrespectful
     • "You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog"
       • not accepting his faith and religion
       • name calling, insulting
       • 'dog' unhygienic wild animals
     • "Spit upon my Jewish Gaberine"
       • spat on his Jewish cloak
       • disrespecting Shylock as a person as well as his religion
     • "Hath a dog money? Is t possible that a cur can lend 3,000 Ducats"
       • Antonio cursed him in the past and now is asking for money
       • Mocking Antonio's decision
       • Shylock has power to control Antonio
       • Rhetorical Question
     • "For Sufferance is the badge of all our Tribe
       • the long suffering is the characteristic of the Jews
       • 'BADGE' Venetian Jews had t wear a yellow 'O'
       • physically and mentally/emotionally

2. Racist views

   • Portia
     • Her suitor
       • Prince of Morocco
         • “Fair as any man I’ve looked upon yet”
           • Racial comment
       • "I rather be married to a death-head with a bone bone in its mouth than either of these."

3. Prejudice & Discrimination

   • Prejudice
     • preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.
     • against Jews = anti-semitic
   • Discrimination
     • Treating someone unfairly because of their race/religion/background

4. Elizabethan Attitude

   • Jews were exiled from Britain
   • Jews aren't able to go to heaven
     • Go to Hell
   • Happy to Force Jewish Converso
     • Believed they were helping them go to heaven
     • "That you Presently become a Christian"
       • not entirely merciful
       • Moderne aud. immoral, not right
   • Hated Jews
   • seen as a threat to the Queen

5. religious conflicts

   • "For he is a Christian"
     • presents religion as the main source of their conflict
     • religious difference= disagreement with Shylock's business
       • antonio criticises Shylock for charging interest
       • believes his trade is justified
       • 16th C Venice Context
         • Christians thought lending money profit =SIN
         • but Jews didn't
         • why Ant. + Shy. disagree about business