INTRO.What am talking about in this essay is the argument to whether the play ‘The Merchant Of Venice’ is anti-semitic or not. Anti-semitism is discrimination or racism towards jewish people. Anti-semitism didn’t just take place during world war 2 but has been going for a much longer time and still takes place today.

THE TREATMENT OF JEWS.

In the merchant of venice anti-semitism is essentially the core of the play and are many examples of it taking place in venice the treatment… The treatment of jews was bad as they was thought of some sort animals as they had to live in the ghetto away from everyone else in venice almost as if they weren’t human another example of bad treatment to jews in venice was the lack of respect towards them evidence of the disrespect towards them is how it was normal to spat at or even on them just like Antonio did Shylock who is jewish and in the play shylock tells us that Antonio had spat on him when talked about jews being the same as any other human as quoted “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog and spit upon my Jewish gabardine.”

DOUBLE STANDARDS.

An example of double standards in the merchant of venice is how when Antonio had not payed his debt to Shylock and in their contract it had said that if Antonio had not payed the debt in due time Shylock would be able to take a pound of his flesh and as Shylock made his way to the judge to seal the deal he was stooped by some Christians and the duke had begged Shylock to have mercy on Antonio as quoted “How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering none?” and showed that the Christians were being hypocrites by quoting “What judgment shall I dread, doing no wrong? You have among you many a purchased slave,Which, like your asses and your dogs and mules.” What he is saying by quoting this is that how can they not ask him to take the pound of flesh that was agreed to on the contract when they have been buying,selling and trading slave which is essential still taking flesh that does not belong.

THE IDEA OF JEWS.

The idea of jews in Venice in the Shakespearean time was that they were basically inhuman and the people of that time should that that was how they thought of them with they’re words(how they described them). The kind of words that were used to described jews went from dogs, money huggers to pigs and many more an example in the play of these kind of words used about a jew is when Shylock explains to Antonio all the reasons he shouldn’t loan because of what he thinks of him…as quoted “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog and spit upon my Jewish gabardine.”