The Merchant of Venice (Folger Shakespeare Library)
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Premium Content Questioning Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice

By Kristin Look - April 10, 2008

The Merchant of Venice has been interpreted over time as both a defense and an attack on Jews. (“Shylock”) While it would seem improbable that Shakespeare was forward thinking enough to completely reject the anti-Semitic sentiment of his time, the play is too complex to be classified as a simple attack on Jews. Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice…

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