'Consider how a theatre-goer in Shakespeare's day would have viewed The Merchant of Venice and contrast with a Present day opinion'.

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‘Consider how a theatre-goer in Shakespeare’s day would have viewed The Merchant of Venice and contrast with a

Present day opinion’.

The Merchant of Venice and contrasting this view with the present day opinion is quite differing as the Merchant of Venice was written about 1596 and was printed in 1600 which is along time ago and society and status of life, opinions and facilities have changed a lot. Nowadays we understand and have more information on what we are watching in a theatre and about the different cultures around us but in Shakespeare’s time his knowledge of Jews would have been based on entirely on hearsay. Shakespeare’s audience was also uneducated in the fact of religion and cultures therefore they would have met a Jew as they were legally banned from Britain in the fourteenth century. The only known Jew to have been living in Britain in the fourteenth century was a physician called Rodrigo Lopez, who was hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason because he was found guilty, after a celebrated trial, of planning to poison the queen.

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The play was written in time when the progression of Jews in England between the years 1066-1655, were subject to increasing persecution and were eventually expelled from England. In other words straight away one can argue from today’s point of view when going to a theatre that the theme of racism and discrimination is very clearly illustrated by Shakespeare,

This hatred for the Jews is reflected in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ as Shylock a Jewish money lender is classed as an alien. An example is given where Shylock comments on why he should lend money to one ...

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