1. The Merchant of Venice
Sources/Background

2. Sources First performed in 1597
First published version of play published in 1600
Merchant is not an original story by Shakespeare

3. Sources
Shakespeare almost always borrowed ideas and stories from other sources and improved them

4. Sources
Immediate source for Merchant is Il Pecorone, an Italian short story that translates “The Idiot”
Published in Italy in 1558
“Pound of flesh” plot

5. Sources
Another source is a medieval tale from Gesta Romanorum (Roman Tales), published in London in 1577
“Casket” plot

6. Sources
Christopher Marlowe’s Jew of Malta ( ) was familiar to Shakespeare
Idea of Jew having daughter

7. Sources
Classical sources: Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Plutarch’s Lives

8. History of Jews in England
Jews allowed to live in England from 1066
Allowed to practice usury, or money-lending; Christians were not

9. History of Jews in England
Jews became target of government taxations because of their wealth
At death, Jews’ assets seized by king
Jews paid Christian church taxes

10. History of Jews in England
In 1290, Jews expelled from England
Suspicion and bigotry practiced against Jews
Term “Jew” became a label

11. History of Jews in England
Secretly practicing their faith, some Jews remained in England

12. Elizabethan Image of Jew
Moneylenders (“usury”)
Bloodthirsty murderers (Jews might demand a pound of flesh as repayment for a loan)

13. Elizabethan Image of Jew
Rumors of Christian travelers being mutilated by Jews
Jews accused of spreading Black Death by poisoning water

14. Elizabethan Image of Jew
Jews stereotyped as evil, dressed in black cloaks, horned hats
Jews played as parodies on stage: actors wore bright red wigs and false noses

15. Usury Lending of money and charging interest on its repayment
Traditionally Jews were money-lenders
Christianity forbade charging of interest

16. Usury Aristotle: beyond the laws of physics for money to breed money
Elizabethans condemned usury, yet this didn’t stop them from borrowing money themselves

17. Women in Patriarchal Society
In Elizabethan society, fathers controlled the lives of wives and daughters
Women had subordinate position in Elizabethan England
Women’s rights were restricted

18. Women in Patriarchal Society
Defying authority had serious consequences
Disobedient sons were disinherited; daughters were confined at home or in convents
Father-daughter conflict a recurring theme in Shakespeare

19. Women in Patriarchal Society
Women’s power limited by rules of inheritance
Renaissance ideal of women suggested that they should live in quiet obedience to husbands and fathers

20. Venice and Trade
England’s role as trading nation grew in late 16th century
Merchants took greater risks as their wealth grew

21. Venice, Italy

22. Venice, Italy

23. Venice and Trade
To Elizabethans, Venice was symbol of trade and wealth
World center for banking
Had great tolerance for different cultures and minorities

24. Gondola and Piazza San Marco

25. The Rialto Bridge