The Jews of England and Venice
Michelle Kern, 2007
Many leaders throughout history have made Jews the scapegoats of many major problems in society. Without the Jews, society would be perfect, these tyrants would argue. Unfortunately, this stereotyping is not a thing of the past; it was not even a century ago that Hitler dreamed of an ideal race, a race without the presence of the Jews. In his article about modern anti-Semitism John Perazzo states, “It is the world’s oldest pastime: When in doubt, blame the Jews. Long is their history of being scapegoated for every conceivable misfortune besetting society” (Perazzo). Even Shakespeare could not turn a blind eye to the hatred around him. Therefore, the Jewish stereotypes and the anti-Semitism inclinations that have shaped Shakespeare’s character, Shylock from The Merchant of Venice can be found to still influence modern society’s views and beliefs.
Shakespeare’s impression of the Jews had to be derived from stereotypes of his time. It is unlikely that Shakespeare ever met a Jew - Edward I banished them from England in 1290. Although, it is possible that he met Roderigo Lopez a chastised Jew that was hung for trying to poison Queen Elizabeth (Bloom 25). Besides, common people saw Jews as an object of loathing because Jews were in the business of usury, or loaning money for profit. Shakespeare uses Antonio to point to Jews as a scapegoat. Even though, he never mentions that Jews had no choice left to go into the profession of money lending since there were restrictions against the Jews entering into many other jobs (32). Shakespeare could not escape stereotypes of the Jews: they were everywhere in his society.
The public had no knowledge of the Jews except what was written/recorded in literature and was performed/visualized in the theater. Furthermore, “From 1290 until the middle of the seventeenth century the Jews were entirely excluded from England. Every prejudice against them was free to flourish unchecked,” (32). As a consequence, the stereotypes against the Jews grew into anti-Semitism with no one to oppose the allegations. Along with this, Jews were put in a category with the sodomities of the time. Being a ‘Jew’ in England was usually overlooked for the most part. When they broke the law, their ‘Jewishness’ was no longer overlooked and said to be at fault for their misbehavior. (O’Rourke ) This idea was reinforced by the hanging of Queen Elizabeth’s physician, Lopez in 1594. He died protesting his innocence, but the commoners there to watch proclaimed that of course he was guilty, merely because he was a Jew. The English public’s understanding of the Jews was associated with evil since this was the only behavior they were accustomed to.
In addition, Jews were banished from Venice before they were disbanded from England. They were not officially let back into Italy until the start of the sixteenth century. (Gross 35) Moreover, after Shakespeare’s time in the 1780s, a Bavarian writer, Johann Pezzl, wrote “there are about five hundred Jews in Vienna. Their sole and eternal occupation is to counterfeit, salvage, trade in coins, and cheat Christians, Turks, heathens, indeed themselves” (Silberstein 369). There were not many Jews in Venice at Shakespeare’s time, so he was writing about minority that was left. Likewise, in the Middle Ages some Jews from Paris were charged with eating Christians. Shakespeare most likely knew of this and other instances where Jews were known to drain Christians of blood (Gross 29). It would have been hard for him to ignore these tales when writing. Additionally, Jewish converts were still considered to be stereotypical Jewish and have the essential Jewish behaviors and beliefs. Even generations later, members with Jewish ancestry that were active in Christian rituals were still “really Jewish” (O’Rourke 382). In short, stereotypes of other cultures also played an important role in shaping Shakespeare’s and England’s portrayal of Jews. These overbearing stereotypes led to the rise of anti-Semitism in society. No one could stop these scandalous stories from spreading and festering in the minds of many citizens.
Shakespeare played on this fear to make Shylock a more convincing villain. A Jew was the precise bad character because no one would disagree with his development or fate at the end of the play. Moreover, “I would define an anti-Semitic work of art as one that portrays Jews in a way that makes them objects of antipathy to readers and spectators – objects of scorn, hatred, laughter, or contempt” (Bloom 306). The play starts out by joking about the similarities between the Jews and the devil. As the play progresses Shylock’s actions are more connected with the devil. Similarly, Launcelot even debates this connection when he decides if he should end services with Shylock. He states “the Jew is the very devil incarnation” (Barnet 308). Further, the play looks at ‘Jewishness’ as evil and this idea of it is associated with sternness and material possessions, while on the contrary, Christianity is linked with love and mercy (306). Shakespeare’s audience was, to be expected, used to the prejudice against the Jewish culture. They were most likely not shocked by Shylock’s remarks about avoiding pork and wanting to charge a high interest rate. Shylock’s link to evilness is his ‘Jewishness’.
Shylock was very connected with his Jewish heritage. Shakespeare makes this known by showing Shylock’s many different traits and feelings towards Christians. Moreover, Shylock has many Jewish qualities such as a well controlled yet passionate temper, intelligence, and adherence to the law (Barnet 210). If he would have allowed Antonio mercy and bent the law, he would not have been put into the position of being an outcast in society. Likewise, Shylock is referred to more commonly as ‘Jew’ than his real name. While the word Jew and its variants are used 72 times in the play, Shylock is only addressed 17 times (Bloom 307). Additionally, “Shylock is, in short, a complete and unredeemed villain whose wickedness is a primary trait. It is a trait, moreover, that is reinforced by the fact of his Jewishness, which, to make the wickedness so much worse, is presented as synonymous with it” (Bloom 311). In short, if Shylock had been Christian, then he would have been more open to change and not barred to his evil Jewish ways.
In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare portrays Shylock as a source of evil and throughout history Jews have been viewed this way. Many times they have been blamed for what is wrong in society. Derek Cohen writes “Prejudice is almost always rationalized, and it is rationalized by reference to history and mythology. Jews have been hated for a number of reasons, the most potent among them that they were the killers of Jesus Christ” (Barnet 306). Moreover, Jews were considered black until the late 19th century. Because of this physical difference, it was considered a racial inferiority of a Jew, although, the black society has never really identified with them (Silberstein 369). Louis Farrakhan, a black leader in America claims that the Jews have too much influence on the government and have taken over the Federal Reserve. He also calls them “wicked deceivers” (Perazzo). He blames them for their part in the African slave trade and the reason America entered the Second World War. He is not the only one to think this way, but many others in the black community think along the same lines as Farrakhan.
This is not the only way that the Jews are looked at as foreign in society. After WWII, the United States was concerned with the way Jews were treated in Germany and questions arose on why the Jews were so visible to the people who were against them. “The theme of the Jew’s immutability was directly tied to arguments about the permanence of the negative features of the Jewish race” (Silberstein 380). Furthermore, the Jews have always noted for the size and shape of their nose. When advances in surgery started, they found that getting a nose job was the way out of looking ‘too Jewish’ (24). Moreover, in Edgar Allen Poe’s famous 1839 story, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’, Poe even comments that Roderick Usher has “a nose of a delicate Hebrew model” (373). A Jewish nose was considered dangerous. In 1941, Walter Alispach, a German follower of a popular physiognomy, stated that such a nose could be considered “coarse and bad character” (372). The Jews are looked at as different in society, which makes them targets for discrimination.
The Jewish people see themselves as different from everyone around them. Sander L. Gilman looks into how the Jewish community considers itself as white and Jewish. In dating advertisements, a person would say “SWJF” stating they were a Single White Jewish Female (366). Why do Jews feel they need to say that they are White and Jewish and not one or the other? Perhaps they feel if they do not state both characteristics they will get answers from anti-Semitists. Further, a study conducted by the Anti Defamation League in 2002 demonstrates that after a forty year decline in anti-Jewish stereotypes, the rates are now starting to rise again. About a three percent increase has taken place in the United States in just four years (Perazzo). Some Middle Easterners blame the Jews for the 9/11 attack, claiming they were involved but no one in America knew about it because Jews own the media. They also maintain that if the American people did know of this deceit and treason, Americans would take after Hitler. In brief, the Jews are viewed differently as much as they think of themselves as separate from the rest of society.
In summary, Jews have been blamed for many of society’s problems from before Shakespeare’s time to now. Shakespeare understood the need for humanity to find a scapegoat and he incorporated this theme into his play, The Merchant of Venice. Likewise, “Shylock’s name has become a byword because of the superb way that he embodies the evil side of the power of money” (Barnet 12). At the time of this play Shylock was looked upon as the villain in the play. Yet, in modern society readers can view him as an embodiment of Jewish stereotypes and anti-sentiments and truly begin to see him as a victim.
Works Cited
Barnet, Sylvan. Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Merchant of Venice. Prentice-Hall; Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1970.
Bloom, Harold. Shylock. Chelsea House Publishers; New York: 1991.
Gross, John. Shylock: A Legend & Its Legacy. Simon & Schuster; New York: 1992.
O’Rourke, James. ‘Racism and Homophobia in The Merchant of Venice.’ English Literary History: 2003.
Perazzo, John. ‘When in Doubt, Blame the Jews.’ FrontPageMagazine.com. October 16, 2002. <http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=3891> November 10, 2005.
Silberstein, Laurence J. and Robert L. Cohn ed. The Other in Jewish Thought and History. New York University Press; New York: 1994.