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Jesse Heasman

How does Shakespeare’s presentation of Shylock affect our response to this character?

In the 1590s Jews in Venice were treated differently from Christians; they had to live in ghettos, wear red hats and were generally regarded as inferior. The Elizabethans views of the Jews were the same as the views of Christians in Venice. So the audience of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ would be very antagonistic against Shylock. A few years before the play was put on show Roderigo Lopez, Queen Elizabeth's physician and a Jew, was executed after being accused by the Earl of Essex of trying to poison the queen. Because of this people watching the play would feel angry with the Jews. The Jews in Venice were disliked because they charged interest when lending money, as Shylock does in the play.

 In the play Shakespeare shows the relationship between Shylock and Jessica in II iii. Jessica says ‘our house is hell’, which would suggest Shylock is a bad father. Jessica then says she feels guilty ‘to be ashamed to be my father’s child!’ this could be because Shylock is Jewish. Then Jessica says ‘I shall end this strife’ which indicates she hates the life of a Jew, in the ghetto, with Shylock as a father. The director can show either of these situations: to direct the audience to either be sympathetic to Shylock, or sympathetic to Jessica, and her life trapped as a Jew.

In II v Shylock leaves Jessica at his house while he goes out, although he does trust her with the house and his possessions. He says ‘there are my keys’ and ‘Look to my house’; which shows he is trusting her with the house, although he says ‘my house’. Shylock also tells her not to ‘thrust your head into the public street’. Shylock does not want Jessica to see the real world, this could seem like he cares for her, or it could seem like he is overprotective. This makes it more understandable why she should want to leave.

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In III v it seems that Jessica will be saved by Lorenzo, from her being a Jew, ‘I shall be saved by my husband; he hath made me a Christian’. The audience may wonder if it was worth Jessica abandoning her father and only family member, for a husband that maybe wants her money more than love, it also depends on how the play is acted. Lorenzo tells Jessica that he is as admirable as Portia. Jessica, after Lorenzo says they should talk about the matter at dinner, says ‘let me praise you while I have a stomach’. As ...

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