Merchant of Venice Research Paper
Barbara Kitchens and Holly McCleary
Instructor- Andrew Latham
Within the first act of The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare not only introduces, but also emphasizes, the antagonistic relationship between Christians and Jews through banter amongst Shylock and Antonio. In our essay, we will breakdown the religious factors which D.J. Snider addresses in his “The Merchant Of Venice,” as these elements introduce the key differences between Shakespeare’s characters and how they both express their beliefs and practices. In addition, we will draw evidence from crucial topics regarding Anti-Semitism and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as both contribute to the divide between Christians and Jews. Lastly, we will also demonstrate how both Antonio and Shylock exhibit the scapegoat and religious coping theories within the play. Along with concentrating on how Shakespeare demonstrates a rift between Christians and Jews through the characters of Shylock and Antonio, we will discuss how modern society has grown more tolerant towards the multitude of religions across the globe, as opposed to the limited exposure Shakespeare’s Venetians had to other belief systems that were available during the sixteenth century.
The conflict between Antonio and Shylock begins almost immediately, as Shylock claims the Christian is senseless in that he “lends out money gratis and brings down the rate of usance,” which ultimately impacts his own money business (Shakespeare 14). As a Jewish man, Shylock finds himself in a Christian world where men like Antonio refuse to charge or pay interest fees as he does. In addition to Antonio’s misuse of charging customers, Shylock also takes offense to Bassanio’s invitation to join them for a pork meal, to which Shylock responds with, “Yes—to smell pork, to eat of the habitation which your prophet the Nazarite conjured the devil into … I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you” (14). Thus, within Antonio and Shylock’s conversation, which also includes Bassanio, Shakespeare was able to reveal that Shylock has strong Jewish beliefs, but only for a different, more prominent purpose.
Inside “THE MERCHANT OF VENICE,” D.J. Snider claims that the collision between Christians and Jews was not “as dogmatic systems of theology but as realized in the practical life of men” (132). Antonio and Shylock are both internal, subjective characters, as both display their belief systems in different manners. Antonio tends to take on a more natural sense of a Christian, as he cherishes the bond of brotherhood; while Shylock, in turn, “exhibits Judaism as it must influence the doings of those who act according to its principle” (132). As a result, we conclude that Shakespeare uses theology to signify just how much religion governs human conduct.
The real divide between Antonio and Shylock takes place when human nature and misinterpreted divine rights collide in The Merchant of Venice. Shylock is not an unreasonable character; he has morals, and is aware of his place as a Jewish man in a Christian society. And yet, Shylock still remains firm as not only a Jewish man, but a human being, as he points out, “You, that did void your rheum upon my beard / And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur / Over your threshold: monies is your suit. / What should I say you?” (13). As a result, Shakespeare creates a sort of tension between an insulted Jewish man and a self-righteous young Christian man. Antonio feels no remorse for spitting on Shylock, and even claims that he would continue to do so even if he did receive the three thousand ducats.
A. H. Godbey points out in “SHYLOCK IN THE OLD TESTAMENT” that the key elements within The Merchant of Venice are the contest of wits between a greedy old man and a young man from another land (360). Shylock, being the old, greedy man, attempts to explain his reasons for charging interest for the money he lends, and draws Antonio’s attention to the tale of Jacob and how the Old Testament character ran his sheep business. Shylock claims, “[Interest] was a way to thrive, and [Jacob] was blessed. / And thrift is blessing, if men steal it not” (Shakespeare 15). In response, Antonio, being the young man from another land, quickly points out that Jacob spun a profit off of a business venture. Therefore, within the first act, Shakespeare establishes an internal feud over beliefs and morals.
Regarding Christian beliefs, Antonio is a representation of the Christian population—a young man with a promising future and a strong sense of brotherhood. Antonio, as a Christian man, enters a financial dispute with a Jewish man. Jewish people (specifically unprincipled Jews) during the sixteenth century, or really any time, are known for giving the privilege of property great abuse, at least according to A. H. Godbey (358). Therefore, the dispute between Antonio and Shylock not only includes their polar beliefs and morals, but also the stereotype that is placed upon Jews.
The most notable difference between Christianity and Judaism is the Person of Jesus Christ. The crucifixion of Jesus is why Christians are so opposed to Jews, because Christians blame Jews for the death of their Messiah. Oddly enough, Jesus himself was a Jewish man. And instead of praising Jesus, who presents himself as the son of God, the Jewish people take an opposing position. So, as Jesus was persecuted, the Jews did not defend him. For millennia, Christians remained spiteful of the Jewish population for not standing up for Jesus, and blamed them for the crucifixion of their Messiah. The feeling of ill-will continues on through time and into the sixteenth century, and is at the heart of Christian Anti-Semitism. Thus, Antonio insults Shylock for his beliefs and attacks him at a personal level. Antonio believes Shylock to be subhuman, rather than in divine right, much like himself. Shylock is unable to be accepted by society around him and is aware of just how much a Jew must suffer, due to the crucifixion of Jesus. The closed-mindedness of a spiteful Christian is what brings Shylock to allude to himself as a kicked dog, one that should just give his money away for being a Jew (Shakespeare 13).
In addition, William Shakespeare includes a very important speech made by Shylock, in which he emphasizes his thoughts and feelings as a human being, rather than just by what his beliefs are. Despite Shylock’s speech being made in the third act, he calls attention to an important matter which needs addressing, as he claims, “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 enemies—and what’s his reason? I am a Jew” (36). The relationship between Christians and Jews is most certainly antagonistic. Shylock is persecuted and seen as less than a human, because of his religion and his origins. Shylock points out that he is a human being, just as Antonio and Bassanio and every other Christian in The Merchant of Venice.
Anti-Semitism still appears in culture today, movies such as The Passion of the Christ re-establish borderline hatred towards Jews through the merciless beating of Jesus at the hands of the Romans. Why cultures treat each other in a negative manner can partially be explained through theories such as the scapegoat theory. According to the scapegoat theory, “in times of national crisis, people instinctively seek groups upon whom to assign blame for their misfortunes” (Brustein 37). People of such a mindset, are internally struggling and have nothing better to do with their time than to blame others for their calamities. Instead of coping with their angry or conflicting feelings, they find an improper way of expressing their emotions. In The Merchant of Venice, the history and strife behind Christians and Jews brings us both to believe that Antonio is merely using Shylock as a means of venting, rather than addressing the overall problem that Christians have with Jews during the sixteenth century. Both Antonio and Bassanio struggle with a sense of poverty, and their struggles bleed into Shylock’s business endeavors, as Antonio punishes Shylock for simply being a Jewish man with money. Antonio is aware of the fact that he has the means to help his friend Bassanio, but cannot afford to do so for the reason that his riches are not in his immediate reach, and so he sought the three thousand ducats from Shylock. Nonetheless, Antonio, ashamed of having to borrow from a Jewish man, attempts to conjure up a sense of guilt within Shylock when he shows up at his doorstep and makes him appear to be the one in the wrong by doing so.
Conversely, Antonio also exhibits the religious coping theory, which happens when one’s “ultimate values are challenged, threatened, or lost, [leading them to] engage in coping strategies to conserve or, when necessary, transform significance, be it physical, financial, social, and/or psychological” (Pargament 143). In the The Merchant of Venice, Antonio points out to Shylock that he will continue to spit and spurn on Shylock, regardless of whether or not he will attain three thousand ducats, all because his intimidation towards the Jew’s wealth (Shakespeare 16). Furthermore, Kenneth Pargament implies that “the perceptions that Jews violated Christian values in the past… continue[s] to represent a threat to Christianity today” and that most of it is influenced by ideas and views that are spread through Christian institutions around the world (145). The religious coping theory is also correlated with overall health and well-being, depending on whether the amount of coping is a positive or negative influence. In Shylock’s case, Antonio represents a negative influence in his life, as the Christian man ultimately brings his misfortunes forth and demands a way out of poverty. Shylock is then forced to go to court when his money is not paid back.
Human beings have made great strides when considering xenophobia during the sixteenth century. Antonio and Shylock are key examples of the division between cultures and religious ideologies and how they can clash. Shakespeare’s play depicts Christianity as the only religion, and demonstrates how Christians consider the Jewish minority group irrelevant. According to Dean R. Hoge and Jackson W. Carroll, Christian customs are what point to particularism, which is the belief that Chrisitans solely have religious truth and integrity. Particularism, as a result, “leads to negative religious images of the Jews of New Testament times” (582). Nevertheless, the western hemisphere has grown more tolerant towards Judaism, as well as the other religions, but Anti-Semitism still exists.
According to Allan Brownfeld, “the nature of the ‘new’ Anti-Semitism, is not necessarily hostility toward Jews as Jews or toward Judaism but, instead, criticism of Israel and its policies” (54). Christians have, for the most part, lost a lot of their hostile Anti-Semitic tendencies, but particularism is still present. Israeli Jews, and the government of Israel, receive Christian support as Christians seek support the Holy Land and help protect it from being taken away. Current issues in regards to Jews are not focused on the sense of exclusion, but more towards the internal wars and strife from around the Middle East.
The growing tolerance towards Judaism brings Christians and Jews one step closer to peace, as well as one step closer to the acceptance of other cultures which shape humanity. Antonio and Shylock both represent a more negative outlook of human history, and are the epitome of the trials Christians and Jews faced during the sixteenth century. With a better understanding of the history and the context behind Shakespeare’s play, modern society can overcome feelings of prejudice towards Jewish people, and even other nations. Humanity would be able to evolve, and to understand that culture is more than just a belief system. Shylock pleads with the audience and blatantly shares the trials he is facing as a human, but especially as a Jew. Shylock gives forth a more dynamic role, than Antonio or Bassanio, because Shylock suffers due to Christian particularism and Anti-Semitism.
Humanity today can better handle various cultures more tolerantly, rather than demonstrating the religious coping and scapegoat theories. Shakespeare created Antonio and Shylock to serve as pathways to the past, and to demonstrate how Christians and Jews were antagonistic towards one another during the sixteenth century. Shylock, as a Jewish man, is insulted by Antonio’s disrespect for his beliefs as both a Jew and a businessman, and is also disrespected by Bassanio inviting him to engage in his Christian practices. Shakespeare depicted two internal characters with different cultures which divide both. By exploring the origin of Anti-Semitism, being mostly the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, we are able to provide a background which explains why Antonio and Shylock are in opposition of one another. Nonetheless, when considering present day, we find that society has grown more tolerant towards the multitude of religions, as opposed to Shakespeare’s characters in The Merchant of Venice. Through time, cultures have evolved, including Christianity, as there are now many different sanctions within belief systems. As a result, we feel that the evolution of culture makes modern society more accepting than Shakespeare’s Venetians during the sixteenth century.
Brownfeld, Allan. "Anti-Semitism: Its Changing Meaning." Journal of Palestine Studies 16.3 (1987): 53-67. JSTOR. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
Brustein, William I., and Ryan D. King. "Anti-Semitism in Europe before the Holocaust." International Political Science Review 25.1 (2004): 35-53. JSTOR. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
Godbey, A. H. "SHYLOCK IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. THE STORY OF LABAN VIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF THE CODE HAMMURABI." The Monist 15.3 (1905): 354, 356-357, 357, 358, 360. JSTOR. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
Hoge, Dean R., and Jackson W. Carroll. "Christian Beliefs, Nonreligious Factors, and Anti-Semitism." Social Forces 53.4 (1975): 581-594. JSTOR. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
Pargament, Kenneth I., Kelly Trevino, Annette Mahoney, and Israela Silberman. "They Killed Our Lord: The Perception of Jews as Desecrators of Christianity as a Predictor of Anti-Semitism." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 42.2 (2007): 143-58. JSTOR. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
Shakespeare, William. Merchant of Venice. B. Tauchnitz, 1843. Web. 11 Dec 2014.
Snider, D. J. "THE MERCHANT OF VENICE." The Journal of Speculative Philosophy 6.2 (1872): 130-32. JSTOR. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
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