The Merchant of venice A Comedy in Five Acts A Comedy in Five Acts by William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

What is ANTISEMITISM? Hatred of the Jews

When did anti-Semitism begin? Why did people hate the Jews?

Myth 1: Blood Libel

Myth 2: Jews caused the plague

Jewish Ghetto in Venice Jews were allowed out of the ghetto during the day to practice their three legal professions: textile trading, medicine, and money lending.

Jews were required to wear certain identifying items of clothing.

A ducat, the Italian currency, was worth about 7 dollars. Usury: the lending of money with interest. Usury was forbidden by the Christian church; therefore, the Jews were often the money lenders. The Jews were taxed very heavily, so they charged high interest.

What was the name of Shakespeare’ s Theater? The Globe Theater

T The New Globe Theater in London was patterned after the original.

Here is the stage of the new Globe.

Three tiers of seats rest under an open sky.

Who played the female roles in Shakespeare’s plays?

Elizabethan Comedy: Focuses on the failings and bad habits of mankind. Makes fun of these weaknesses to promote social change.

Shakespeare’s Comic Devices Shakespeare’s Comic Devices 1. Happy ending 2. Mistaken identity 3. Women are smarter than men 4. Villain is punished in the end

5. Stock Characters (stereotypes) a. Clown (physical humor) (Lancelot Gobbo) b. Talks all the time (Gratiano)

Stock Characters, continued... C. Jewish Characters: 1. Stingy, complaining old man (Shylock) (Shylock) 2. Young woman coverts to Christianity (Jessica) (Jessica)

Depending on where it is performed, The Merchant of Venice can be a very anti-Semitic play. It was Hitler’s favorite Shakespearean play!

Why would Shakespeare set his comedy in Venice?

Venice, the center of the renaissance, was called the jewel box of Europe.

The carnival in Venice lasted four months of every year.

The Rialto Bridge was considered the “Wall Street” of Venice.

The Merchant of Venice Themes of the Play Appearances can be deceiving. Revenge is always destructive.

Portia, Shakespeare’s first great woman character, lived in a castle in the imaginary kingdom of Belmont, on the Mediterranean Sea.

Portia’s father’s will stated that her suitor must choose the casket (box) which contained her picture. Portia’s father’s will stated that her suitor must choose the casket (box) which contained her picture.

The Gold Casket Inscription “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.”

The Silver Casket Inscription “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.”

The Lead Casket Inscription “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.”