Jew’s are looked upon as greedy people, only lending money out so that they can make more in the long run, where the Christian, one of a supposed ‘kinder’ and more popular faith, would lend out money for free. This makes it look as though Jewish people have no feelings. The Christian lends out money because he cares for another person, he lends to friends and wishes nothing in return. The Jewish person lends out to enemies or acquaintances and also friends in order to make a fortune from them. He treats them all the same, which tells us he only has friends through religion, so he does not really care for them. They are only his friends because they help him in his business, to make him more money. Shylock notices some jewels missing and is deeply upset by this because they were stolen by his daughter (p.62). Shylock cares more for his jewels departing from him than he does his own daughter! A Christian would not do this, when Bassanio is about to lose Antonio he tells him that he would give up everything to keep him alive (p.100).
Jewish people can simply change to Christian overnight, showing that they are not true to their religion such as the Christians. Jews are not true to their religion because they are not making sure their children are content with it, but all the Christian’s are content, none of them convert in the story. Christian’s are true to their faith because they are getting people to convert to it, not to run away from their heritage like the Jews. In the courts even the main Jewish person in the story is converted to Christian (p.104).
Jewish people should not have hate for being abused; they chose to live this way. Shylock is only an insignificant Jew, compared to a dog in the story. Shylock was an alien in Venice, he did not belong there, and therefore he did not have the right to hate the Christian’s. It was a privilege for him to even be living there, he is lucky to even be living there, he isn’t even a citizen he has no right to want revenge on those who have criticized him all of his stay in Venice. In the court Portia reads that as Jew he has no rights, he doesn’t deserve to be here with Venetian citizens, or Christians, therefore he is forced to become one to stay and not die (p.103).
Shylock suffers great loss in the end of this story as though he has not lost enough already. All evil is triumphed over in the end, their wickedness washed away in the end of the book. This shows everyone that is bad to be a Jewish person; you will just lose in the end and turn Christian anyways. It looks as though the Christians have saved him in the end, he has no reason to feel bad, he is off to heaven now, and will not be damned in the end. The Jew loses all of his wealth and heritage to Christians in the end of the play, to the town of Venice, composed of Christians, and to Antonio, the Christian (p.104). He would have rather killed himself than to do this if he were true to his religion, like the Christians were.
Greed only done by Jews showing they have no feeling, Jews being looked at as the racist ones, conversion, not being allowed to hate, and great loss all cause The Merchant of Venice to anti-Semitic. Only modernization of the people may make it look not that way, the play has not modernized itself, just the way people perceive it, but in true form Shylock was meant to a clown not to be taken seriously.
