It is quite possible that Wm Shakespeare was sympathetic towards Jews in TMofVenice . An example is the “ if you prick us do we not bleed “ speech which could be said to demonstrate what we as people all have in common with our shared humanity. A celebration of what binds us all, rather than the “ othering “ of the Jewish community with all of the virulent antisemitism of that time.
Thanks for taking the time to read John and your thoughts on this. I'm afraid that I disagree - in my opinion the idea that Shakespeare was sympathetic is modern rather than contemporary. Don't forget he would not have known a single, openly professing Jew.
Then there is the speech itself, which focusses on blood. Not only does this connect with the infamous 'pound of flesh' it also evokes on the one hand, the belief that Jews were guilty of shedding innocent blood (from Christ to the blood libel, e.g. William of Norwich, Hugh of Lincoln, Simon of Trent, etc); and on the other, the belief in Jewish male menstruation (explored by David Katz in his important article, 'Shylock's Gender: Jewish Male Menstruation in Early Modern England')
Then there is evidence from the staging of the play; Shylock was sometimes portrayed with a red beard, thus linking him with Judas Iscariot (there is a medieval artistic tradition that depicted Judas with red hair and beard).
It is quite possible that Wm Shakespeare was sympathetic towards Jews in TMofVenice . An example is the “ if you prick us do we not bleed “ speech which could be said to demonstrate what we as people all have in common with our shared humanity. A celebration of what binds us all, rather than the “ othering “ of the Jewish community with all of the virulent antisemitism of that time.
Thanks for taking the time to read John and your thoughts on this. I'm afraid that I disagree - in my opinion the idea that Shakespeare was sympathetic is modern rather than contemporary. Don't forget he would not have known a single, openly professing Jew.
Then there is the speech itself, which focusses on blood. Not only does this connect with the infamous 'pound of flesh' it also evokes on the one hand, the belief that Jews were guilty of shedding innocent blood (from Christ to the blood libel, e.g. William of Norwich, Hugh of Lincoln, Simon of Trent, etc); and on the other, the belief in Jewish male menstruation (explored by David Katz in his important article, 'Shylock's Gender: Jewish Male Menstruation in Early Modern England')
https://www.jstor.org/stable/517391?seq=1
Then there is evidence from the staging of the play; Shylock was sometimes portrayed with a red beard, thus linking him with Judas Iscariot (there is a medieval artistic tradition that depicted Judas with red hair and beard).
https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2010/10/14/shylock-red/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27702658?seq=1
Finally, Shylock does not remain a Jew in the play but is forcibly converted.