Anti-Semitic Views in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice

An author must compose a work with his or her audience in mind. In skillfully writing the play, Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare needed to appeal to his audiences' senses of humor to produce an effective and successful comedic play. There was a general anti-Semitic attitude that was prevalent among the majority of London's population. As a result, Shakespeare seems to have incorporated that same attitude towards Jews in the play with his treatment and portrayal of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender.

The method through which a character is presented and portrayed can reveal a great deal about his or her personality. Shylock is undoubtedly shown to be greedy, shrewd, and somewhat conniving. The way others look down at him suggests an inferior social status. He loans Bassanio the money only after Antonio agrees to surrender a pound of his own flesh to Shylock if the payment is not made within three months. His demand of a pound of flesh provokes the reader to adopt a rather disgusted and negative attitude towards the Jew. Because Shylock is portrayed to be so sinister and wicked in his ways, Shakespeare seems to set the readers against him. Such an alienation of the readers only adds to the anti-Semitic views.

Furthermore, Shylock's interaction with other characters seems to make him the villain. His numerous insults and utter hatred of Antonio and Christianity creates an inaccurate representation of Jews, which can be construed as anti-Semitic. In addition, his servant Lancelot and daughter, Jessica, both want to abandon Shylock. Lancelot is willing to assume greater responsibilities and more work as a servant under Bassanio while Jessica has a strong desire to convert to Christianity. Her abandonment of her religion seems to portray the Jewish ways as undesirable. Despite her rejection of Shylock, the audience has less sympathy for her because she stole her father's ring. Her actions can be perceived as still "characteristic" of a Jew. In that sense, Jessica's actions further the anti-Semitic perspective that pervades throughout the play.

Finally, the major conflict between Antonio and Shylock draws the majority of the characters to the courtroom, where Shylock is outwitted by Portia. Because Shylock was unwilling to show any mercy to Antonio and was not even willing to call for a surgeon, the Christian characters punish Shylock to a greater extent. They strip him of his property, religion, and dignity. The extensive humiliation of the Jewish villain of the play certainly supports the idea that Merchant of Venice contains some anti-Semitic elements.