Essay on Imperfect Faith in The Merchant of Venice

Imperfect Faith in The Merchant of Venice Though William Shakespeare accurately portrays both Christianity and Judaism in his play The Merchant of Venice, the characters in the play do not represent their religions well. A reader unfamiliar with these religions could easily misinterpret flaws in a characters nature as the teachings of his religion. After a preliminary glance at the play, one would assume that Shakespeare wrote unjustly of the two religions depicted therein. However, Shakespeare had to write the play to please his audience, so he added a twist. By making characters not wholly perfect in their faith, in compliance with reality, Shakespeare was able to add the insults and bigotry and anti-Semitic feelings†¦show more content†¦These, along with other actions of the Jew show Shakespeare did his best to keep Judaism unchanged for his play. Shakespeare still had to please the crowd with the insults and anti-Semitic feelings the people loved. He did this by adding flaws to the characters that they are now known for. Shakespeare gave Shylock his deep hatred for Antonio and all Christians, shown constantly by Shylock himself as he rants how Antonio constantly wrongs him. Another flaw in Shylocks morals is seen in his Hath not a Jew eyes speech. There he believes he has the right for revenge when a Christian wrongs him, saying, If a Jew wrongs a Christians, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrongs a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. (III, i, 63-66). Antonio too shows flaws, both through Shylocks stories of Antonios persecution and through the insults he offers Shylock throughout the play. In the courtroom scene, Antonio tells Bassanio he might as well go stand on the beach and tell the waves to stop their endless beat upon the shores than try to get the Jew to cha nge his mind. He also jokes that Shylock is turning into a Christian with his kindness to lend Antonio the 3,000 ducats, saying The Hebrew will turn Christian: he grows kind. (I, iii, 170). Not only does this add the necessary conflicts for humor that the audience wants, but it provides the backbone for the story, showing the background of theShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s The Merchant Of Venice2059 Words   |  9 Pagesin The Merchant of Venice resembles a folktale known as â€Å"A Pound of Flesh† (325). Artese supports his supposition with background context and parallels between the two story lines. Literary versions of the pound of flesh story circulated during the sixteenth century and were collected since the nineteenth century because of the plot’s longevity and populairity Shakespeare would have been familiar with pound of flesh stories (326). Human commodification is a central issue in both The Merchant of VeniceRead MoreOrigins of Concepts of Jus tice2088 Words   |  9 PagesCaesare Beccaria Jeremy Bentham (hedonistic calculus) †¢ Measure to determine the amount of punishment needed to deter Procedural Justice †¢ Law includes the procedures and rules used to determine punishment or resolve disputes. †¢ The law is an imperfect system. †¢ â€Å"Moral rights† may differ from â€Å"legal rights,† and â€Å"legal interests† may not be moral. †¢ Review Bill of Rights (what does it say about rights? Note: Amnd. 9 10). †¢ Due process exemplifies procedural justice. o Notice of charges