Merchant of Venice Is an Anti-Semitic Play. Term Paper

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Merchant of Venice is an anti-Semitic play. Rather, what I see in the play is Shakespeare cleverly mocking stereotyped views of both Jews and Christians. Shylock, the Jew, is cruel and inhumane in his demand of a pound of flesh from Antonio for his unpaid debt. On the other hand, the Jew, who is definitely not a nice guy, and who was the subject of laughter in early scenes, becomes a sympathetic victim of un-Christian Christians as the court scene progresses. In the end the Christians who trick the Jew out of not only his wealth, but his religion, and perhaps his very soul, appear to be as incredibly cruel as the villainous Jew. In my opinion The Merchant of Venice is Shakespeare's treatise against hate and inhumanity.The blessings of mercy as described in the famous speech of Portia that begins "The quality of mercy is not strain'd, / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven" (Iv. ii. 1184-185), seem, in my opinion, to be….....

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