Merchant of Venice Podcast:

Storytelling is integral in exposing our true behaviours in the moments of tension inherent
to conflict, subsequently challenging our understanding of issues such as morality and
prejudice. William Shakespeare’s play “Merchant of Venice”, exercises this perspective,
providing an insightful exploration of humanity’s true hypocrisy in his comedic
representation of external conflict in religious injustice and our capability for moral
disparity. Similarly, Khaled Hosseini’s novel “The Kite Runner”, similarly portrays these ideas,
however, also depicts the consequences of an individual’s externalisation of their inner
conflicts of jealousy and resentment, as a representation of human selfishness.
Shakespeare tells the story of religious conflict experienced by Jews within the
predominantly Christian setting of the Elizabethan era, exposing humanity’s paradoxical
behaviours. Shylock cumulatively lists, “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, and affections”, to argue in third person, “we are like you in the rest”,
revealing Jews as collectively humane and reasonable, challenging their stereotypically
‘animalistic’ perception by Elizabethan audiences. Contrastingly, Antonio personally attacks
Shylock, calling him, “An evil soul producing holy witness”, utilising juxtaposition to highlight
his “falsehood”, exposing his true hatred for Shylock due to their religious conflict. Similarly,
Antonio also says to Shylock he will “spit on thee again, to spurn thee too”, remarking
metaphorically, “Hath a dog money?”, as his response to their religious conflict, subverting
Christian values of kindness, subsequently demonstrating their artificial virtue and exposing
their true behaviours of cruelty when handling a “stranger cur”. However, Shakespeare still
perpetuates Elizabethan anti-Semitic views in Shylock’s conflation of “O my daughter” and
“O my Christian ducats”, as his “daughter fled with a Christian”, demonstrating the
capability of his religious disputes to illuminate stereotypical greed, as he apparently values
his money equally to his daughter. Hence, primarily through the microcosmic depiction of
religious conflict between Antonio and Shylock, Shakespeare explores individuals’ true
particularly behaviours and the fallibility of Christian values.
Shakespeare’s exploration of morality during moments of intensity inherent to conflict
exposes humanity’s true nature and behaviours, challenging pre-existing perceptions.
Lancelot states “I will try confusions” with his “true begotten” and “sand blind, high-gravel
blind” father, utilising imagery to emphasise his cruelty and immorality in the mockery of his
disabled father, where internal conflict in moral ambiguity challenges the perception of
Christians as presumably virtuous. Furthermore, Lancelot depicts Shylock as, “The devil
himself”, stating that he is “ruled by the fiend”, where ironically, Lancelot more similarly
resembles ‘the devil’ in his perpetration of moral conflict while tricking his father, further
challenging the righteousness of Christians.

- If he have the condition a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather him shrive
me than wive me.
- Talk about how Christians are unreasonable and defy their stereotypically virtuous
stature, juxtaposing to that of the Jews, hence the paradox and the revealing of true
personalities through conflict.
- Include how we as modern viewers perceive the text differently, it is no longer as
comedic.
- Shakespeare displays the true nature of Christianity through their religious conflict
and stark immorality
- In the stage directions, Shylock is addressed as ‘The Jew’, showing his
marginalisation even within the stage directions.
- In thesis statement, link the two texts of M.O.V and The Kite Runner