Shylock: Victim Or Villain?

The first 200 words of this essay...

The Release of "The Merchant of Venice" came at a time in the 1580's and 1590's when Jews were hated and subjected to

Anti-Semitic abuse. It is believed to have been based around an Italian short story written in the fourteenth century. It included many similarities such as the "lady of Belmont", or as she is known in Shakespeare's rendition, Portia. Although the lady of Belmont sets a different task for her suitors, the core events of "The Merchant of Venice" are in there such as the young man who borrowed money from his benefactor to see the woman of his dreams. The benefactor had to pledge a pound of flesh to a Jewish moneylender. The story of the two rings is also apparent. Shakespeare is also said to have used some of the ideas from Christopher Marlowe's play "The Jew of Malta". One of the reasons that Jews were despised was because of a famous trial that occurred not long before the play's release. The trial involved Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I and her physician, one Doctor Lopez. The doctor was accused of high treason and subsequently executed. I think that this would have given Jewish people a