- 15 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
Christianity versus Judaism in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice
About this book
Essay from the year 2008 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 2+, Harvard University (Department of English), course: Shakespeare and Modern Culture, language: English, abstract: In Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, the Jewish character of Shylock refers to the biblical story of
Jacob tricking his uncle Laban (1.3.68-98) by tampering with the procreative process of Laban's
flock of sheep (Genesis 30.25-43). In the following, I will try to point out why Shylock tells this
story, and in which literary context he ruminates upon it. Besides a critical comparison of how his
speech interacts with the original biblical story, I will furthermore discuss this analogy foremost in
terms of its religious and dramatic functions within the play. Against this background, it will be
made evident that 'usury' as a negative Jewish stereotype, presumed by the judging eyes of medieval
Christians, is put in the centre of consideration here. It will be argued that as a general declaration in
MoV, a superiority of the New Testament to the Old Testament, of Christianity to Judaism, can be
derived, and that this conclusion is strongly linked with the majoritarian mindset in Shakespeare's
times and cultural sphere, rather than with Shakespeare's personal attitude towards Jews or Judaism,
an often supposed attitude of unprovable nature.
Information
Table of contents
Trusted by 375,005 students
Access to over 1.5 million titles for a fair monthly price.
Study more efficiently using our study tools.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn how to download books offline
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.5M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1.5 million books across 990+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn about our mission
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more about Read Aloud
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS and Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app
Yes, you can access Christianity versus Judaism in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice by Andrea Oberheiden in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Languages & Linguistics & English Language. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.