Merchant of Venice

Prejudice: The Merchant of Venice has been labeled an anti-Semetic play by some critics, but this is far from the only way to look at it. The character of Shylock seems, outwardly, to be the villain of the play. He sets up a plan to exact a pound of flesh from Antonio, who, outwardly, seems like a good Christian. The story, however, is much deeper than this. Shakespeare gives reasons for Shylock’s actions—if …

…fleshy bond of husband and wife. When the abuse of the Jew as usurer is combined with the Christian religious bias against Jewry that marked Elizabethan England, this leads to a natural result in the demonization of the Jew. This demonization quickly leads to the image of the Jew as a wanton murderer, and is clearly revealed in the accusation of "blood libel" that arose against the Jews during their year before exile from England.