Preview

Merchant Venice Discussion Guide

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
9226 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Merchant Venice Discussion Guide
A Discussion Guide for Educators

A Publication of the Anti-Defamation League

Anti- Semitism and The Merchant of Venice: A Discussion Guide for Educators

Barbara Balser, National Chair
Abraham H. Foxman, National Director
Kenneth Jacobson, Deputy National Director
Caryl M. Stern, Senior Associate National Director/
Chief Operating Officer
Marshall S. Levin, Senior Associate National Director/
Director, National Development
Michael Salberg, Associate National Director/
Director, International Affairs
Bob Wolfson, Associate National Director, Regional Operations
Richard D. Glovsky, Chair, Education
Gary M. Bretton-Granatoor, Director, Education
Lucille S. Kantor, Chair, A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute
Lindsay J. Friedman, Senior Associate Director, Education/
Director, A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute
Scott Hirschfeld, Director, Curriculum
Nina Simone Grotch, Associate Director, ADL San Francisco Regional Office

© 2006 Anti-Defamation League
605 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10158-3560
(212) 885-7700/885-7800
(212) 867-0779/490-0187 (Fax) www.adl.org Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

© 2006 Anti-Defamation League

Page 2

Anti- Semitism and The Merchant of Venice: A Discussion Guide for Educators

I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimension, senses, affections, passions

IN THIS GUIDE
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.

Teaching Controversial Texts
A Brief History of Anti-Semitism
Shakespeare s England
Shylock: A Character Analysis
Glossary
Bibliography
Appendix: An Abridged History of Anti-Semitism

...
... .
...
..
... ..
...
.
...
..
...
...

4
5
7
10
16
17
18

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
This resource is a tool for teachers presenting The Merchant of Venice to their

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Debut Albums and Eve Duncan

    • 84912 Words
    • 340 Pages

    No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information…

    • 84912 Words
    • 340 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Shakespeare 's The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jew who struggles to adjust to a Christian society that belittles him. Antonio is a devout Christian. Shylock’s relationship with Antonio reveals that he is biased against Christians, and in this way both Shylock and Antonio exhibit similarities in how each perceive "the other."…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Édouard Adolphe Drumont (1844 –1917) was a French, conservative journalist and author. He became a lead propagator of anti-Semitism during the Third Republic of France with an extreme influence over the country. Drumont was a strong supporter of Nationalistic views and the discipline of the authoritarian Catholic Church. In 1886, Édouard Drumont published his book Jewish France (La France Juive), advertised as an essay on contemporary history.…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    123doc

    • 21933 Words
    • 241 Pages

    No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic…

    • 21933 Words
    • 241 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Undp Women

    • 26120 Words
    • 105 Pages

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by…

    • 26120 Words
    • 105 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anti-Semitism In Germany

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Anti-Semitism is the hate or prejudice against members Jewish faith and those with Jewish backgrounds. Anti-Semitism is a widely shared belief throughout the world; however, it is not as present as it once was. In Germany during the 1930’s and 1940’s, the Jewish population was persecuted and taken to concentration camps and later death camps. Throughout the world, there have been Jewish hate groups in nearly every country along with the lone radical anti-semite. The United States of America is not exempt from these atrocities. Crimes and slander against the Jewish population are committed and supported by both Jewish hate groups and anti-semitic public figures. Throughout the United States the Jewish population is subject to violence, vandalization,…

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To what extent did the need for strategic leadership lead to the rise of Venice between the 9th and 15th centuries? Venice was a major trading power between the 9th and 15th centuries, which led to extraordinary wealth and vast trading services. After the fourth Crusade, Venice became the strongest republic of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. As a result, Venice succeeded in dominating the entire maritime traffic. Venetians with adventurous spirits traveled abroad in search for new opportunities for commerce in order to have a good standard of living, which generated numerous wealth. Therefore, the city Venice began to grow as a vital trading player. The need for strategic leadership that led to the Rise of Venice, should be embraced to the fullest extent. Venice, a centre of trade is uniquely independent because of it’s unique location, effective leadership, trade development and expansion thus, these series of events lead to the Rise of Venice.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means,…

    • 4601 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.…

    • 4427 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Social Care

    • 6362 Words
    • 26 Pages

    © Copyright RCN Publishing Company Ltd 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.…

    • 6362 Words
    • 26 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Anti-Semitism and the desecration of the Jewish population have been in existence for nearly five thousand years. In the Elizabethan era, a question of anti-Semitism invariably arises. In William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, we find that one of the characters is the embodiment and expression of anti-Semitic attitude that is pervasive in Elizabethan society. "Anti-Semitism was an intricate part in Shakespeare's years. Jews were considered vile and scorned upon. Shakespeare presents Judaism as an 'unchangeable trait'" (Bloom 37). Shakespeare's age based their anti-Semitism on religious grounds because the Elizabethans inherited the fiction, fabricated by the early Church, that the Jews murdered Christ and were therefore in league with the devil and were actively working to subvert spread of Christianity. The religious grounds of this anti-Semitism means that if a Jew converted to Christianity, as Shylock is forced to do in The Merchant of Venice, then all will be forgiven as the repentant Jew is embraced by the arms of the all merciful Christian God of love. In fact, some Christian believed--as do some fundamentalist sects today--that the coming of the Kingdom of God was aided by converting the Jews to Christianity. Anti-Semitism in Shakespeare's time is portrayed in his masterpiece The Merchant of Venice.…

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “Oh, me, the word ‘choose’! I may neither choose who I would nor refuse who I dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father. Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one nor refuse none? (Act 1 Scene 2 lines 22~25)…

    • 2067 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    No part of this report has been submitted for award of any other degree, diploma, fellowship or other similar titles or prizes. The work has also not been published in any journals/Magazines.…

    • 10478 Words
    • 47 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout The Merchant of Venice, there are a variety of ways in which the characters view wealth. Their views on wealth shape the play. Different characters view wealth in extremely different ways. Shylock’s life is centered around wealth, Bassanio views wealth as extreme power, while Antonio balances wealth and love greatly.…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' is a comedy with a difference. It was written almost certainly between 1596 & 1598. The play is classed as one of the 16 comedy plays but it is also a 'problem' play due to the tragic elements woven throughout the intricate plot. The play concludes with a harmonious ending but all through the plot, reoccurring themes of sadness and tragedy are included.…

    • 2290 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics