Racial Discrimination In The Merchant Of Venice - 1496 Words

Everything is not as it seems. In other words, â€Å"Don’t judge a book by its cover.† This message is applicable to racial discrimination and stereotypes. For example, from the 1200s to the 1600s, Europeans discriminated against Jews extensively. This was most prominent in Venice and England. Jews were forced to live on an island called the Ghetto in Venice and were cruelly oppressed throughout history in the Italian city.. In the 1200s, Jews were banned from England. Finally, they started to come back in the 1600s but had limitations because they were known for their high intelligence compared to the English, as well as in Venice. In Venice they were only allowed to be usurers, or loaners that demand high rates of interest, which is something†¦show more content†¦Whoever chooses the right one may wed Portia. The Prince of Morocco chooses the gold casket because â€Å"never so rich a gem was set in worse than gold.†(2.7.60-61) He says that no one is mor e beautiful than Portia and compares her to gold. Based on that comparison, he chooses the gold casket.. However, when he opens the casket he reads that â€Å"All that glitters isn’t gold...had you been wise as bold, young in limbs, in judgement old.†(2.7.73-79) These quotes show that the casket story directly supports the message (one must not judge by the cover to have pure judgement) and supports the motive that Shakespeare has in mind for this play. Also, Bassanio is one of the protagonists of the play, and he tries to wed Portia. He chooses the lead casket because it had an inner beauty, though the outside was ugly. Obviously, the lead casket is the right one and the casket inside has a message that says â€Å"You that choose not by the view chance as fair and choose as true.†(3.2.135-136) This further shows that Shakespeare wants the audience to learn to not judge by appearance, and to be humble because one who judges thinks highly of themselves. Thus, thi s play is not Anti-Semitic because all the characters act abusively towards Shylock just because he is a Jew. They judge him by the outside and do not look at the inner qualities of Shylock. Also, if Shakespeare used this theme as his main motive then he is trying to indirectly demote Anti-Semitism. IfShow MoreRelatedChristian Prejudice and Racial Discrimination of Marginalized in the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare3691 Words   |  15 PagesIn Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, there are quite a few cases in which the non-Christian characters are marginalized and victimized of Christian prejudice and absolute racism. The Christian prejudice and racial discrimination transpires through the use of language and terms of reference. In sixteenth-century Europe, Jews were a despised and persecuted minority. England, in fact, went beyond mere persecution and harassment by banning Jews from the country altogether. In theory at least, thereRead MoreRacial and Cultural P rejudice Essay766 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many themes woven into the play The Merchant of Venice, Prejudice being the most evident. This prejudice is mainly racial (against race) or cultural (against lifestyle, i.e. religion, culture†¦) and is one of the leading causes of conflict in the play. Prejudice towards Jews, prejudice towards Christians, and prejudice towards people of different colour and prejudice of others with different nationalities, are all present in the play. 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