Merchant of Venice - Modern Humanitarianism - 1274 Words

centerbModern Humanitarianism has run riot on Shylock. Discuss./b/center br brThe Merchant of Venice is concerned with two issues that were of importance in the Elizabethan Age: Jewry and Usury. It is generally assumed that the Elizabethan attitude to Jewry was hostile and that the execution of Roderigo Lopez in 1594 was characteristic of the Christian rejection of all ‘Jews, Turks, Infidels and Heretics, who were considered to be misbelievers. But this could also be a false assumption, for although the Jews were forced to convert to Christianity to live in England, once they did they were generally left alone. Marlowe in The Jew of Malta portrays a Machiavellian Jew, but one who is ‘rarely mean in his villainy. Usury†¦show more content†¦These modern attitudes then in the words of Edwin Booth, tend to lift (Shylock) out of the darkness of his native element of revengeful selfishness into the light of the venerable Hebrew, the Martyr, the Avenger. br brShylock can be seen as a product of centuries of racial persecution. Thus Shylock ‘s character has oscillated between the malignant caricature and the dignified tragic hero. br brIs Shylock a representation of the Jewish hatred for Christians or is he motivated due to his personal hatred for Antonio? When Shylock says, br brI hate him for he is a Christian: brBut more forÂ…He lends out money gratisÂ… one realises that his hatred is based on money and he is not the religious martyr that he portrays himself to be. He takes a gamble when he lends the money and makes Antonio sign the merry bond. He has no way of knowing that all of Antonios fortune will sink and that he will be able to take the forfeit. His hatred for Antonio and the rest is apparent throughout. br brShylock is the representative of the money code, the greed and the hoarding that is contrasted to the Christian code of honour. But does he embody the evil side of the power of money? Or is he just a scapegoat who embodies the qualities embedded in the Venetians? As mentioned earlier, Shylocks character raises a lot of questions. He may have been victimized due to the Christian hypocrisy. br brIt could be that he is a villain who is