Prejudice
If he have the condition a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me. (I.ii.129-131)
You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog,
And spet upon my Jewish gaberdine, (I.iii.120-122)
Yes—to smell pork, to eat of the habitation which your prophet the Nazarite conjured the devil into. I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following, but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you. (A I, s iii)
The casting of Jews as villains
Anti-semitism in The Merchant
Antonio, the eponymous Merchant of Venice, is a businessman. He also lends money. But he is cast as the ‘good’ merchant, where Shylock is the villain. The anti-semitic undertone is evident in Antonio’s mistreatment of Shylock. In Act One, Scene three, when Bassanio is seeking the loan, Shakespeare reveals Antonio’s treatment through Shylock:
Signior Antonio, many a time and oft
In the Rialto you have rated me
About my moneys and my usances.
Still I have borne it with a patient shrug,
For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe.
You call me ‘misbeliever’, ‘cut-throat dog’,
And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine;
And all for use of that which is mine own.
Well then, it now appears you need my help.
Go to, then. You come to me, and you say,
‘Shylock, we would have moneys’; you say so;
You that did void your rheum upon my beard
And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur
Over your threshold. Moneys is your suit.
What should I say to you? Should I not say,
‘Hath a dog money? Is it possible
A cur can lend three thousand ducats?’ Or
Shall I bend low, and in a bondman’s key
With bated breath and whispering humbleness,
Say this:
‘Fair sir, you spat on me on Wednesday last:
You spurned me such a day; another time
You called me “dog” — and for these courtesies
I’ll lend you thus much moneys’?
Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice was a favorite of Nazi Germany certainly lends credence to the charge of anti-Semitism.
The aspects of the play that appealed to anti-Jewish propagandists are precisely what continue to bear controversy.Actors playing Shylock often would put on a red wig and big, hooked nose, and THEY would play the evil Jew, even with the language that defies it.
Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” considered a comedy, follows the wooing of the wealthy Portia. Bassanio is in love with her, but needs to borrow money from his friend, the shipping merchant Antonio, to impress Portia. Antonio is eager to help but doesn’t have cash on hand, so he secures a loan from Shylock, a Jewish man he despises and proudly spat on. When Antonio defaults on the loan, was in the loan agreement. The clever Portia disguises herself as a judge and intercedes to save Antonio, but in the process, Shylock is humiliated.
Bias in The Merchant of Venice
While Antonio’s hatred of Shylock is based solely on religious intolerance, Shylock’s hatred of Antonio goes beyond just their differing religious beliefs. One of Antonio’s main problems with Shylock is that, as a Jew, Shylock charges interest on his loans, something that Antonio, as a Christian, believes is wrong. As soon as Antonio enters in Act 1, Scene 3, Shylock begins to complain about how Antonio publicly heckles him for earning money through interest (1.3.40-3), something that Antonio says he never does himself (1.3.53-4). By juxtaposing Shylock and Antonio’s views on the exact same issue—i.e., whether charging interest on loans is religiously acceptable—Shakespeare emphasizes how different religious beliefs can form the basis of discrimination, mockery, and violence. On the other hand, Shylock’s hatred of Antonio is more nuanced than Antonio’s hatred of Shylock. While Shylock is quick to admit that he hates Antonio because he is a Christian (1.3.34), he immediately goes on to add that Antonio “lends out money gratis, and brings down / The rate of usance here with us in Venice” (1.3.36-7) and that “he rails / Even there where merchants most do congregate / On me, my bargains, and my wellwon thrift / Which he calls interest” (1.3.40-3). Here it is made clear that while Shylock holds religious prejudice of his own, it is Antonio’s undermining of Shylock’s ability to make maximum financial profit that bothers Shylock most. It is thus apparent that Shakespeare’s development of Shylock’s character not only includes the type of religious prejudice that Antonio is guilty of but also the stereotype of the greedy, money-obsessed Jew.