The Way Shylock is Presented in William Shakespeares The...

The Way Shylock is Presented in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice is about the conflict between a Jew and a Christian. This is not between one Jew and one Christian but between Shylock, who stands as a representative of the Jewish tribe, and between groups of Christians who greatly outnumber the Jew. The conflict between Jews and Christians is a historical one. The Christians hated the Jews because they made money from usury; this was completely against the Christian beliefs of that time. However, this hate was not one-sided as the Jews also hated the Christians because the Christians treated them very badly; the Jews were alien to the Venetian society and thus†¦show more content†¦However, he prejudices her thinking by making reference to the religion of the Christians as he refers to Christians as fools. He obviously cares about her but doesnt show it openly. We can also see that Shylock is going to dine with the Christians which is against his religion. This also shows that maybe Shylock is being hypocritical i n his religion to gain revenge on Antonio. From this we can see that Shylocks true hate to Antonio and thus he is prepared to sacrifice his religion to kill Antonio or bring harm to him. This gives the impression that although Shylock is very extreme in his religion, he has been oppressed so harshly by the Christians that he cannot tolerate it any longer. Thus he is now prepared to go against his religion in order to bring harm to Antonio. The conflict between Jews and Christians is made intense when Shylock finds out that his daughter has ran away with a Christian. Jessica has taken some of Shylocks money and precious jewels. Shylock says that his daughter is damned for this. Shylock is so hurt at his own flesh and blood rebelling against him like this. Perhaps he is infuriated more so because his daughter has gone against is views and religion to assimilate with the enemy. Shylock is also angry about AntoniosShow MoreRelatedRacism And Prejudice By William Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice Essay1699 Words   |  7 Pagestheir religion and what they believe in, however there is racism and prejudice present in the world. William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is one of his most controversial plays. Written in the 16th century England, the play poses many questions concerning racial, religious and human differences due to anti-semitism being very common at the time. The story is set in Venice where a merchant named Antonio lived. 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