Criticism on the Merchant of Venice
The outsider status that Renaissance European cities imposed upon non-European inhabitants (and on Jews
in particular) was an attempt to exert power over various members of society.
Thus, in The Merchant of Venice, Shylock does his best to reverse this “master-slave” relationship through
his pound of flesh arrangement with the European Antonio.
While The Merchant of Venice appears to celebrate the Elizabethan values of Christian ethics and good
business, the play instead subtly exposes a contradiction between the apparent belief in these values and
whether or not they are actually practiced.
The Merchant of Venice is considered one of Shakespeare's problem comedies in part due to its antiSemitism.
A problem play introduces moral dilemmas without offering clear-cut or comforting solutions to these
dilemmas.
In The Merchant of Venice, the Christian Antonio and his friends plead with the Jewish Shylock to show
mercy towards Antonio, yet when the situation is reversed and Antonio and his friends are in a position to
show Shylock mercy, they do not.
Instead, they strip him of his worldly possessions and force him to convert to Christianity. Since there were
few or no Jews in Shakespeare's England, his depiction of Shylock is probably based on stereotypes rather
than the intimate knowledge acquired through contact.
Economics is a prime concern in The Merchant of Venice, and one major critical perspective treats the play
as a clash between emerging mercantile sensibilities and religious traditions.
During Shakespeare's time, usury (lending money for interest) became an accepted business practice as
profits became increasingly more important than religious principles.
The rivalry between Antonio and Shylock is often viewed as an example of two conflicting business ethics.
Although Shylock represents usury as a pragmatic and legitimate business practice, Antonio embodies a
more idealistic perspective of the profession.
Following Christian precepts, the merchant generously lends his money interest-free because his wealth
and means allow him to do so.
This fundamental economic contention, in addition to the two characters' religious differences, establishes
their enmity toward one another and creates a rivalry that reaches its climax in the trial.....