The Many Faces of Shylock.

The Many Faces of Shylock Throughout history, people of the Jewish faith have been persecuted for reasons none other than their religion. This ever-present Anti-Semitism was obvious in the Elizabethan period, when William Shakespeare wrote his plays. One of his works, which focuses greatly on the negative bias against Jews, is The Merchant of Venice, which opened sometime in 1596. In the story, Bassanio, a young man infatuated with a wealthy heiress named Portia, borrows money …

…grief is more heartfelt, his jubilance is stronger, and his thirst for vengeance is more pronounced than that of the oppressing Christians. For instance, "Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? (III.i.52)." Shylock's words of detest towards Antonio are more genuine than any other lines in the play. In this respect, Shakespeare means Shylock to be the ultra-dynamic character, and overcome his oppression through his emotions.