The Merchant of Venice and the Gospel of John
I have never been a Christian, and before this assignment was given to me, never touched a Bible before. However, reading the gospel John has helped in my understanding of The Merchant of Venice very much. Through the Bible, I have been able to compare the themes and characters present in both texts, thus enhancing my appreciation of The Merchant of Venice.
One of the similarities that struck me was the `resemblance' of Jesus and Shylock. At first sight, these two characters seem to be worlds apart, one being a saintly and merciful Son of God, while the latter being a miserly moneylender and a Jew. However, as I prodded deeper into both texts, I astonished myself at the great similitude of the two.
Firstly, at the start of the gospel, Jesus was not accepted by His own people, as Shylock was not accepted by his fellow Venetians. Jesus was not accepted because the Jews did not believe in what He is said to have done, though they were created from His Father. Shylock is rejected because they do not believe in his religion, which actually is the their own too, for both Christianity and Judaism came from Jerusalem. Their own people rejected both of them. This is further shown in the fact that the Jews persecuted Jesus (who in actual fact was one of their people) because he `broke a law' to rid somebody of sin, as seen in "So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him." (John 5:16). Ironically, Shylock's fellow human beings similarly persecuted him, because he did not conform to their societal norm by being a Christian.
In another irony, "Moreover, the Father judges no one..." (John 5:22), and...
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...f Jews and hypocrisy in literature. It has helped me to see things in different perspectives, and opened windows of imagination in viewing The Merchant of Venice, and I believe that I will carry this with me through other texts that I might come across in future.
Works Consulted:
Chesterton, G. K.. The Bible In Literary Criticism. Ed. and Comp. Alex Preminger and Edward L. Greenstein. New York: Ungar, 1986. 449-50.
Fox, Robin Lane. The Unauthorized Version: Truth and Fiction in the Bible. New York: Vintage, 1991.
Frick, Frank S.. A Journey Through The Scriptures. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1995.
Ingersoll, Robert G. About the Holy Bible. Penguin Publishers 1994.
Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. 1967. Ed. W. Moelwyn Merchant. The New Penguin Shakespeare. London: Penguin Books, 1996.
Carson, D. A. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible. Vol. 1. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1991.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
Frick, Frank S.. A Journey Through The Hewbrew Scriptures. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1995.
Gomes, Peter J. The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart. New York: Morrow, 1996.
Pink, Arthur W. Studies in the Scriptures, 1947. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1982. Print.
Richardson, Alan, (1958), an Introduction to the Theology of the New Testament. SCM press Ltd, London.
Of course the most prominent part of the Gospel are the miracles. A number of the miracles that are described in John are not mentioned at all in the other three Gospels. For example, the aforementioned raising of Lazarus. In this miracle, Jesus goes to the tomb of one of his followers who was stoned to death. Once he sees that Lazarus has been entombed for four days, he has the stone removed from the entrance to the cave and commands "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43). This is one of the most famous miracles, but it only appears in the one Gospel. Another example of a very well known miracle that is only present in John is his ability to turn water into wine at the wedding at Cana. This is a story that tells how Jesus was able to take not only water, but also inferior wine and turn them into quality wine. This is also a very interesting passage because in it, Jesus is promoting alcohol use and bein...
The Bible student, laymen, or pastor will find the principles presented by Fee and Stuart helpful despite the weaknesses presented. The author’s contribution on how to interpret each of the different genres is especially beneficial. The Bible Student will have more knowledge of how to interpret God’s Word when finished with the work. Fee and Stuart achieve their goal helping the reader not only with interpretation, but with application.
Henry, Matthew, and Leslie F. Church. Commentary on the Whole Bible: Genesis to Revelation. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1961. Print.
Shylock and Iago are two of the most interesting characters created by Shakespeare. Their personalities and characteristics make them who they are. These characters do have some similarities, on the other hand, are different as night and day. Each one has a different motive for revenge, and also they both go about it in different ways. Iago will stop at nothing. Shylock has the reader's sympathy. Still their desire for revenge ruins them in the end.
that 81% thought that the price of the gym was fair for the quality of
Carson, D, & Moo, D. (2005) An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
"Open Book Newsletter No. 1: The Bible and Western Literature by Peter J. Leithart January, 1991." Biblical Horizons » No. 1: The Bible and Western Literature. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.