#1

  Shakespeare's. The Merchant of Venice is set in a time of strong prejudice.  Shakespeare's play tells of the prejudice in Europe towards Jews during the Renaissance era. Europeans see the Jews as a sub-human race to be quarantined and mistrusted.  Jews are forced to distinguish themselves through their clothing and housing arrangements.  Often times they are spat upon in the streets.  They are forced to live as less than second class citizens.  Forced to suffer, men like Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, become bitter.  Shylock is the main Jewish character in the play.  Shylock is a man disliked by all. Shakespeare also uses Shylock as a point of sympathy for the Jewish race of his time period.  During conversation with a fellow Jew, Shylock speaks of what causes his bitterness in life, "He hath disgraced me and/ hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses,/ mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted/ my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine ene-/mies--and what's his reason? I am a Jew" (III.I.53-57).  Here Shylock expresses the life of the average Jewish man.  They are scorned by society.  Daily Shylock must suffer injustice at the hands of Christians because of his Jewish heritage.  He cannot fight back, rather he suffers continually.  No one speaks out for him because he is a Jew and it is expected that he should bear the injustice.  Shylock goes on to say, "Hath not/ a Jew eyes?  Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimen-/ sions, senses, affections, passions?.../ hurt with the same weapons, subject to/ the same diseases, healed by the same means,/ warmed and cooled by the same sum-/mer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed.../ If you poison us do we not die" (III.I. 57-65).  Shylock points out the similarities between Christians and Jews.  In essence both are human, because both are human, Shylock argues that there is no reason for preferential treatment for the Christian and hatred for the Jew.  Shylock ends his statement with, "And if you wrong us, shall/ we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will/ resemble you in that.  IF a Jew wrong a Christian,/ what is his humility? Revenge.  If a Christian wrong/ a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian/ example?  Why revenge" (III.I.66-70).  Again Shylock reiterates that Christians and Jews are the same in that they are human.  Both are motivated to vengeance when impassioned.  Because Jews are also human it is unfair to think that in the face of injustice they will not respond with the same cruelty meted upon them by Christians.  In regard to that view Shylock says, "The villainy you teach me I/ will execute, and it shall go hard" (III.I.70-71).  In essence Christians and Jews are the same in all forms of humanity.  Jews and Christians alike will avenge themselves when wronged.  It is unfair to believe that after the oppression Shylock has suffered at the hands of Christians like Antonio he will not strike back.  Although Shakespeare's depiction of Shylock's vengeful rage paints Jews as an angry people, Shakespeare does well in showing that Jews and Christians are all humans and feel the same emotion, and thus are both motivated towards revenge.