Treatment of Jews in the 16th Century
Looking at the history of Jews in England, it is evident that Jews
were persecuted and murdered up until 1290, when Jews were expelled
from the country. Jews were treated with strong disrespect both
because of their alternative religious beliefs, and because of their
financial status and ways of living.
One can safely assume that Shakespeare never actually met a Jew,
because Jews had been expelled three and a half centuries before he
lived. Therefore the stereotypically evil character of the Jew was
merely a myth, passed down through the generations.
Shakespeare obviously intended on demonising the Jew of his play,
making Shylock an outcast to the community of Venice. In England in
the 16th Century, with the absence of Jews, a popular negative image
was created for them. Just as, today, we may imagine aliens to be
estranged to us, enemy to us, and possibly even dangerous; the Jews
were as good as aliens to England four hundred years ago.
There were no Jews around to defend such a bad name, and so that
reputation worsened to stereotype the Jew as a murderer and a demon.
The rumours were exaggerated and invented tales were passed on. So,
when Shakespeare was writing "The Merchant of Venice" he most probably
relied on such fictions to dictate his character of Shylock. Other
writers of his time also made use of the manufactured Jewish history,
writing plays where the Jew starred as the leading enemy. The Jews
really were insulted and despised, without even having to make an
appearance in the country! History reminded people that they had
always been prosecuted, and that their rights had alwa...
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...of Shakespeare's Christian
audience, it could only be expected that the Jew would be the enemy,
and the character that everybody loved to hate and blame.
Shakespeare creates a caricature of a Jew, just as he might have seen
done by Christopher Marlowe in "The Jew of Malta". Shakespeare's "Shylock"
was easily recognisable as a Jew, wearing traditional clothing,
immediately showing the audience that he is different. The money
lending profession adds to the Jewish look, and the way he acts,
without even a care for his own daughter, making references to his
desire for Christian blood, allows Shakespeare's audience to create a
strong hatred for the Jew.
Although nobody had actually met a Jew, probably the entire audience
had been brought up to despise such an awful religion, hearing
terrible tales of sin and misery.
Ultimately strengthening the cultural hatred of the Jewish population, fallacious myths concerning the Jewish culture began circulating and sparking fear among medieval Germany. Jews became the scapegoat of the Black Death, which overwhelmed medieval Germany, killing endless amounts of people. Because of the religious practices of cleanliness for Jews, they did not use public wells and had fewer instances of the Black Death/ Because of the discrepancy of in the number of Black Death infections between the Christian people and the Jews, the Jews individuals were subsequently accused of deliberately poisoning the wells, therefore causing the Black Death, which would result in eventual retaliation by the Christian community (Moore 981). Because of a widespread cultural belief, Jews were often accused of having magical powers which originated from a deal with the devil (Marendy
Perhaps for no group of people were ‘the dark ages’ so aptly named as for the Jews. Over the span of one thousand years life changed wildly for the Jewish people and not in a positive way. At the start of the 5th Century the future looked bright but by the 15th century life was engulfed in darkness. This essay will investigate exactly how the legal position of the Jews was able to deteriorate so badly.
In 610 CE, Muhammad first founded the religion known as Islam. It soon spread out through the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Spain. Once Muhammad died, new Muslim leaders took over the Islamic Empire. Known as caliphs, they ruled the Muslim community instead of Muhammad. When Islam reached Spain, the Jews living there were affected in a positive way. The Jews of the Muslim world led a fair and comfortable life under the Caliphate, however, once the Caliphates were gone, the Jewish golden age was terminated.
During the interwar period of the twentieth century, Jewish immigrants and American born Jews faced increasing ant-Semitism and discrimination. The external pressure of anti-Semitism and discrimination led to many Jews facing internal anxieties and conflicts about being Jewish and fitting into American society. Assimilation during this period meant fitting into the white gentile majority’s standard of appearance, mannerisms, and middle class ideals. Common stereotypical images from the time depict Jews with large noses and curly hair, women were often portrayed as dominant over their Jewish husbands, and Jews were often seen as manipulative, controlling, and money grubbing. Jews’ limited social acceptance came on by completely abandoning their Jewish identity and avoiding falling into stereotypical images, which was often impossible. These external pressures and internal anxieties did not make assimilation difficult, they made it impossible. Therefore, assimilation only existed as a term and not as an achievable reality. Although many Jews tried to assimilate during the interwar period, they could not because assimilation was only an illusion, a fallacy that no Jew could achieve.
forced to live in a part of Russia known as The Pale (which is now in
Jews in the 19th Century During the 19th the status and position of European Jews changed
History provides several horrible periods of violence, fear and murder. Such horrible acts against humanity have been committed in the name of religion, colonization, and racial superiority. The Holocaust, was one of the most catastrophic and saddest events in history, where about 11 million people, including Jewish children, families, and political dissenters were mass murdered. However, there exists another mournful and cruel period that marked the lives of many Sephardic Jews with secrecy and fear. One hardly hears about the harassment, rejection and humiliation of Sephardic Jewry in Spain, Portugal, and countries like Mexico, at the hands of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, which began in 1492. Due to these events, Sephardic Jews found themselves facing one of the most complex decisions of their lives and those of future generations; conversion, expulsion or death. The reasons for conversion are complex, as many converted by force and others for social or political reasons. As a result, converts became known as Conversos and “marranos /chuetas, and the latter are derogatory terms, as the names imply “swine” (Hordes 6). Another important term is Anusim, referring to those "whose conversion was prompted by violence and fear not sincerity” (Hordes 6). Marranos, were secretive people often, “keeping their children from their Jewish identity, until they reached an age where discretion could be trusted "(Telushkin 195). All of these events, have led to the complex phenomena, of the crypto-Jews in the new world, including Mexico and the American Southwest. Thus, sparking new areas of interest and research of their practices, customs, authenticity, and identification.
The Holocaust was the persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime. The total amount of people murdered during this time was 11 million, with six million of those being Jews. Not only were adults murdered but approximately 1.5 million children were murdered as well. The destruction of 5,000 Jewish communities also occurred during this time. The word “Holocaust” comes from the Greek origin meaning, “sacrifice by fire”. Another word for this mass murder of six million Jews is “Shoah”. “Shoah” means devastation, ruin, or waste. The Nazis who led this persecution came to power in Germany in January of 1933. The Nazis saw the Jews as evil or cowardly and saw the Germans as hardworking, honest, and courageous. The Germans were destined to rule and the Jews were doomed to extinction. Not only were the Jews a target but Gypsies, the disabled, and some of the Slavic people were as well. The Holocaust began in 1933 when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany and it ended in 1945 when the Allies defeated the Nazis.
attacked them in their homes. Jews had to sell their businesses and other property to
Venice’s reputation among the major cities of the world was known as a wealthy but also a strictly Christian society. One reason that Christians did not accept the Jewish community was the belief that the Jewish community was a problem in society. For example, in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Shylock, a Jewish man, is compared to the devil. Few Venetians accepted Jews because of the belief of them being evil. In fact, Research conducted by BBC shows that Jewish ghettos were made to cease the activities of the Jewish people and this clearly shows the hatred against the Jewish community. The Jews were forced to wear red hats to tell them apart from others. An incident involving the persecution of the Jewish community was the forcing of the
Discrimination Against Jews in Germany Once Adolf Hitler had gained complete power of Germany as a dictator. In March 1933, he set up policies to bring the country's people into the country. line. The'separate'. His desire to do this was fuelled by the belief that the German people were a superior race above all others, called the Aryans.
Discrimination is a resounding theme in The Merchant of Venice (Meyers). All of the characters are affected by inequality. This inequity is clearly evidenced in Shylock, the Jewish usurer. He is treated with scorn and derision by all the characters. Shylock’s misfortunes stem not from poor attributes or even a poor background; it stems from the fact he is Jewish, and what is more, he is impeccably of that distinction.
In the Merchant of Venice, we see a truly anti-Semitic play by Shakespeare. However, we also see a tale of money (greed and generosity), love (heterosexual and homosexual), and emotion (joy and sadness).
Shylock is a wealthy Jew who invests money into shipments and trades. When Shylock’s enemy, Antonio, requests a loan of 3000 ducats, “Shylock adopts this Christian model of "kind" lending in his bond with Antonio as a means for lawful revenge.” Shylock’s agreement is that if the ducats are not returned, Antonio must repay his loan in human flesh. This is a way for Shylock to either make money or kill a Christian, either will satisfy him. Lee describes Shylock’s feelings towards Christians, “Indeed, although Shylock will neither "eat," "drink," nor "pray" with the Christians, he is willing to "buy" and "sell" with them.” This is where Shakespeare first introduces the devil inside Shylock. Had Antonio been a Jew, there would not have been a payment of flesh. Shylock’s hatred propels the story from start to finish. His hatred causes him to lose his daughter, drives Portia to use her money and wit to save Antonio, and why he ends up losing
It is difficult to say if Shylock is a complete villain or a victim, as his character is complex and ambiguous. However, it is difficult to view Shylock as anything other than a devious, bloodthirsty and heartless villain in the majority of the play. There are a few points in the story where he can be viewed as victimised, as most Jews were at that time, but Shakespeare has purposely portrayed Shylock as a stereotypical Jew, greedy, and obsessed with money. Shylock has been written to be very inflated and exaggerated. Even when Shylock makes his first appearance in the play, his first words are “Three thousand ducats,” Act 1, Scene 3.