Submi

tt
edBy
:AALI
ARUBAB
Rol
lNo:ENGL62S21S07
c:Compa
Topi r
eTheJewofMal
taandTheMer
chantof
Veni
ce
Submi
tt o:Pr
edt ofQamarHussai
n

Shakespear eandMar l
owewer ebothinfluencedbytheant i-
Semiti
cideas
oft hesociet
yt heyli
v edin.Hence,Shylockf r
om theMer chantofVenice
andBar abasf rom theJewofMal t
ai spor tr
ayedasat ypicalJew,which
wasst ereotypedint heElizabet
hant i
mes.I nbot hpl
ays,av i
ctimi
zedJew
tri
est oseekr evengeagai nstaChrist
ian, buttheneventuall
yfail
sont he
thresholdoftriumph.

Shyl
ockandBarabasarebot
hr i
chJewishmen,whoarer
epresent
ati
vesof
thesamefai
th.Fr
om thest
artofeachplay
,bot
hprot
agoni
stsareport
ray
ed
asmentobedespised.

ChurchesforbadeChr i
sti
ansfrom engaginginmoneyl
endingbecauset
hey
bel
ievedthatitendangeredtheChrist
ian’
ssoul.Howev
er,sincet
he
Chri
stiansr
egar dedthesoul
sofJewsl ost,
“Mygol d,
myf ort
une,
myf eli
city.St
rengtht
omysoul,deathtomine
enemy ,welcomethefi
rstbeginnerofmybliss”Her
efusestoacknowl
edge
herpresencemakingtheaudiencebeliev
ethathewoul
dpickhismoney
overhisdaughter
.

Simil
arl
y,i
ntheMer
chantOfVenice,Shy
lockisportr
ayedtobeconfused
aboutwhichoft
het
wo; hi
sdaughterorhismoney,ismoreimport
antto
hi
m.WhenJessica,
hisdaught
er,runsaway,steal
sallofhi
smoneyand
el
opeswithLor
enzo,aChr
ist
ian,Shy
lockmostlyworr
iesaboutr
egai
ning
hi
swealthandnothi
sdaughter.“Mydaughter
,Omyducat s,Omy
daught
er!Fl
edwithaChri
sti
an!OmyChr ist
ianducat
s!Justi
ce,t
helaw,
myducats!”

Moneyi soneoft hegreatestindicator

sofhowShy l
ockandBar abbashave
confusedt hei
rpri
ori
ti
es,focusingonuni mpor tantt hings.Theaudience
doesn’tknowwhet hermoneyorl ove(thei
rowndaught ers)pl
ayamor e
signi
fi
cantr ol
einthei
rli
ves.Thus, thetwochar actersar esimil
arbecause
theyarebot hdri
venbymoneyandt hus,portr
ay ingt hem t obeheart
less.
Theaudi encealsobel
ievesthatt hefactthattheyar ebot hJewishmay
havesomet hi
ngtodowi ththeirevil
.

ChristopherMar loweandWi l
li
am Shakespear ewr otepl ay sinEngl and
duri
ngat imewhenJewswer ebannedf r
om t hecount ry ,
maki ngitunl ikel
y
thatJewi shchar act er
si ntheirpl ayswoul damountt omor et hanant i
-
Semi ticst ereoty pes.Bot hMar lowe’ sJewofMal taandShakespear e’s
Mer chantofVeni cear eeasyt or eadasant i-Semi t
icplay sduet ot heir
vengef ul Jewi shchar acters.Thepl ay wr i
ght smay ,howev er,hav ebeen
taki
ngadv ant agesoft heiraudi ences’ anti-
Semi ti
sm topr omot etheirown
messages.Whi leMar lowe’ sant agoni stBar abasi sgreedyandmur derous,
thepl ay’sChr i
stiansar enodi fferent, suggest ingthatMar loweuses
Barabasasami rrort oreflectChr i
stians’ gr eedandv i
ol encewhi cht hey
hideundert heper formanceofr eli
gion.Thi scomment arymay ,howev er,be
l
ostonaudi encesduet othest ereoty pical natureofBar abas.Shakespear e,
i
nhi sl aterpl ayMer chantofVeni ce,par allelsMar l
owe’ spl ay,butmakeshi s
Jewi shant agoni stShy lockmor esy mpat het i
c.Shakespear eshowshow
Shylock’ sv engef ul natureiscul tivatedbyt hedi scri
mi nationhef acesi na
Christiansoci ety,maki ngShy l
ocknotonl yami r
rorreflect i
ngChr i
stian
hypocr isy,butami r
rorreflecti
ngani magei mposedont ohi m.Thi sof fersa
betterex pl anationofhi sandBar abas’ mot ives.Shakespear eal so
represent sChr i
st iansinabet terl i
ght ,showi ngthem t obehy pocriti
cal at
t
imes,
butul
ti
mat
elypr
act
ici
ngwhatt
heypr
each,
unl
i
kei
nMar
lowe’
spl
ay.

From thebegi nning,hei sdescr i

bedi nt hest ereotypical termsofagr eedy
Jewgai ningmoneydi shonest l
y.Howev er,Mar loweleav esthewayt he
audienceshoul dv i
ewBar abasambi guous; Machi avel say s“gr
acehi m as
hedeser ves,/Andl ethi m notbeent ertainedt hewor se/Becausehe
favorsme”( Prologue33- 5).Thiscoul dei t
hermeant hathewi shesthe
audiencet ohav epityonBar abasandnotj udgehi mt oohar shly,orthat
Barabasdeser vest heirjudgementf ormor ethanf oll
owi ngMachi avelli
’s
teachings.Ther estoft hepl ay,though, makesi tseem t hatMar l
owei s
suggest i
ngthel att
er, asitbecomesdi f f
iculttopityBar abasev enwhenhe
i
swr ongedbyChr i
stians.Af terpoisoninganent i
renunner y,ki
ll
ingmostof
i
tsinhabitantsincludinghi sdaughter,fori nstance,heseemst odeser vethe
painfuldeathheget sint heend, eveni fhewaswr ongedbyChr isti
ans.

Jessi
caandAbi gai lbothhaveav ari
etyofdiff
erentsi
mi l
ari
tiesand
dif
fer
ences.Bothar efrom wealt
hobsessed, si
ngleparentfamili
esthatare
contr
oll
ingandmani pulati
ve.Theirf
athersareseenaspr otagonist
s
thr
oughoutbotht hepl aysandsimi l
arl
yarebothf r
om aJewi shbackground.
Thismakestheaudi enceprejudgethem asinferi
orcharacterswith
possi
blesinf
ultraits.Ont heotherhand,bothareacceptedbyt he
remaini
ngcharact ersinwhichbelieveintheChrist
ianreli
gion.
Rol
eofJessi
caandAbi
gai
l
Aswel lassi milarbackgr oundsandbasi cchar acterper sonal it
iest heyalso
portr
aitthest ereotypicalJewi shact i
onst owar dssituat ions.I nElizabethan
ti
mesJewswer ediscr i
minat edandpr ejudgedi nthest at usf ocusedsoci ety.
Theywer eaccusedf orstealing,adulteryandot herChr istiansi ns.Inthe
pl
ay ,
bot hthef ather-dependentdaught erscommi tthesi nofst ealing.
Abigailstealsfrom thenunner ytor et
riev eherf at
her s’mi splacedweal th.
‘
Thusf athershal lImuchdi ssembl e…t henfatherher er ecei vet hy
happiness.”Shedescr ibest hemoneyasherf athers‘ happi ness.’Thi s
i
ndicatest hatherr easonf orcompl et
ingt hesinwast of ulfi
llherf athers’
desir
e.Thisshowsdr amat i
cpur posebecausei tall
owst heaudi enceto
experiencetherevelati
onofl oyaltybet weenher selfandherf atherBar abas.
AShakespear eanaudi encewoul di nt erprett
hissceneasanegat iv
e
devel
opmentofAbi gail’
schar acter.Shei sdisr
especti
ngt helawandt he
Chri
st i
anrel
igion.
Howev er
,thisinter pretati
onwi l
loccurbecauseoft he
betr
ay alofl
awr atherthanthedi srespectt owardstheChr ist
ianr el
igi
on.
JessicaalsostealsinAct2Scene6.Aswel lasbetrayi
ngherf atherby
el
opingsheaddi t
ionall
ystealsal argeamountofducat sf r
om herf at
hers
str
ongl yadmiredmoney .
BothJessi caandAbi gai
lconvertedt ochr i
sti
anity.
Sowecansaytherei
salotofsi
mil
ari
ti
esanddi
ff
erencesbet
ween
char
act
ersofbot
hplays.