The Merchant of Venice - Jessica - Victim or Villain?

This essay hasn't yet been marked by one of our teachers

You can view all our essays on The Merchant of Venice that have been Marked by Teachers

The first 200 words of this essay...

3/10/04

Jessica - Victim or Villain?

At the time the play was set Jews were considered 'second class' citizens in Venice despite the fact that Venice was famous for its quality of justice.

There was a lot of prejudice against the Jewish minority and they were even forced by the government to obey special laws. These consisted of wearing distinctive clothing such as coloured arm bands, not being able to be involved in trades such as the military, the government and guilds and most of all they were forbidden to retaliate in any circumstances to the way Christians treated them. These meant that most Jews lead a very restricted lifestyle and were often singled out from the rest of the Venetian citizens.

The history of Jews around the world is a very cruel and complex one. Jewish persecution dates right back to the middle ages. The Christian church thought that they should be despised for rejecting Jesus. They began spreading rumours about Jews killing children at pass over and using their blood to make unleavened bread. During the fourteenth century, Europe was gripped by fear of the Black Death. Christians did not miss this