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The Merchant of Venice

by William Shakespeare

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Contemporary Relevance of Themes in The Merchant of Venice

Summary:

The Merchant of Venice remains relevant today due to its exploration of themes like prejudice, capitalism, and the human condition. The play contrasts the mercantile, profit-driven world of Venice with the idealized Belmont, highlighting ongoing societal issues such as economic inequality and religious intolerance. Shylock's character, often seen as a critique of anti-Semitism, underscores persistent racial and religious bigotry. Themes of justice, mercy, and the human desire for revenge resonate in contemporary discussions about social justice and equality.

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What is the present-day relevance of The Merchant of Venice?

In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare presents two different worlds. The first is Venice—a place of Christianity, lavishness, and commerce. The Venetian society, Christian and orderly as it seems to be, is also shown as a barbaric one. Here, money equals the law. Lending money for interest as a way of making profit is very much acceptable and is the driving force of Venice, which is why loan sharks are highly respected. One of the moneylenders is Shylock the Jew; however, despite being respected for being a good moneylender, he is ostracized because of his religion and is considered subhuman. Money-making logic is considered more important than religious values, and Venice is shown as the embodiment of emerging capitalist ethics.

The other world presented in the play is Belmont. It is an idealized world, where justice and equality are most important. There is no religious intolerance. Belmont is shown as a complete contrast to the town of Venice—with no economic exploitation, the city is able to flourish with charity, forgiveness, purity, and love.

Keeping the two societal worlds in mind, we can compare them to today's situation. Although there have been advancements made regarding society and laws that affect it, there still exists a clear gap between our current society and an ideal one. While Belmont is something we strive to achieve, we are still living in Venice, where capitalism is often placed above basic human needs.

The presence of prejudice is clear from the Venetians' treatment of Shylock. He is considered a villain and an outsider. The Christian, profit-oriented society only sees him as a human being as long as he is valuable as a loan shark—beyond that, he is subhuman. Should he lose his respect as a moneylender, he is sure to lose respect as a person. Shakespeare used this character to represent anti-Semitism, which is what makes the play relevant to this day. There is still a lot of controversy about whether Shakespeare wrote the character of Shylock to address the issue at hand or to present his alleged anti-Semitic views. This interpretation of the play is possible; after all, in the time the play was written, anti-Semitism was far too common in Elizabethan society.

However, throughout the play, Shylock is shown as a complex, ambiguous character. He not a conventional or caricatured Jewish figure; instead, he has positive and negative sides which do not necessarily represent his religious beliefs. This is why critics mostly agree that Shakespeare wanted to deconstruct anti-Semitic prejudice through this character. When we think of Marlowe's Jew of Malta, Barabas is made the villain due to his Jewish faith. In contrast, Shylock's behavior is not the result of his being Jewish. He is not inherently evil, but was in fact pushed into his malicious actions by society. This makes a difference in how the audience reacts to his tragic end: we sympathize with him, at least partly.

Similarly, in Othello, a black, converted Muslim tries to fit in a white, Christian society. Shakespeare wanted to deconstruct the stereotypes of "evil Jew" and "devilish black man." Both of these plays are still relevant in today's society—despite the progress being made when talking about religious and racial tolerance, there is still prejudice present in the world. In fact, the prejudice is being reinforced by a growing number of world leaders, giving a platform to those with hidden—or even blatant—detrimental values. With bigotry and narrow-mindedness on the rise, there is a big chance of our society taking steps in the wrong direction in the near future.

Shylock believes the Venetians are hypocrites for preaching Christian morals but not following them. In act 3, scene 1, he goes on to say:

I am a Jew. Hath
not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as
a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison
us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge?

In his famous soliloquy, Shylock explains that Jewish people are no different from others—no matter their religious beliefs, people are bound to react to situations in the same way, and take similar actions. He believes that there is no fundamental difference between people, and that the Venetians are simply being hypocritical. This is a crucial part of arguing for an all-encompassing and humane society in today's world.

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What is the present-day relevance of The Merchant of Venice?

The main issue many modern critics find of immediate relevance to contemporary culture is the issue of antisemitism. Many of the characters in the play think of Jews in stereotypical terms and treat them as second-class citizens. Although Shylock is portrayed as fitting the negative stereotypes of Jews in the period, he also has one of the most moving speeches in the play in which he pleads for understanding and against racism and prejudice: 

. . . I am a Jew. Hath

not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,

dimensions, senses, affections, passions? . . . 

If you prick us, do we not bleed?

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What timeless element in The Merchant of Venice gives it relevance today?

I think there are themes present in The Merchant of Venice that are still relevant today.

Money is a motivator in the play, and wealth is important to the characters. Bassanio desires to marry Portia because he needs her money. While the two come to love each other, we can't pretend his debt does not play a part in why he pursues her. Shylock is very concerned with money, as evidenced by his cries of "O, my ducats!" I believe that in today's age, money continues to be a motivator. The American Dream consists of the idea of self made wealth.

Antisemitism is present in the play, and is still an issue today. Shylock laments:

. . . He hath disgraced me, and
hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses,
mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my
bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine
enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath
not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as
a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?

Shylock is a victim of antisemitism—in the sense of how other characters treat him, and in the sense that he was written to fit negative stereotypes of the time. Modern adaptations have the option to portray Shylock in a different way.

Sometimes, modern directors choose to set the play in a different time or setting, in an attempt to portray the characters differently or explore a certain theme. (See the links for a few samples). I think the fact that this play is still produced and sometimes set in a different year shows the timelessness of it.

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What timeless element in The Merchant of Venice gives it relevance today?

One of the agreed upon characteristics of Literature is that it speaks of "universal truths"--or timeless truths--that remain relevant throughout human ages. Thus far, this universal, timeless characteristic has been true of The Merchant of Venice (though Eagleton speculates about a time when this may cease to be true). The central theme is one of the points in this play that is timeless: the antagonism of one group of people for another and the sense of superiority each group feels over the other. While the groups in The Merchant of Venice and Jew and Gentile, and while this particularly is relevant at the present hour in history, a more universal view can be taken that aptly applies this theme to the various groups of people at odds with each other across the face of the Earth today. Examples can be found in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq, Tibet, Syria and other places.

SHYLOCK
    [Aside] How like a fawning publican he looks!
    I hate him for he is a Christian,
    But more for that in low simplicity
    He lends out money gratis and brings down
    The rate of usance here with us in Venice.
    If I can catch him once upon the hip,
    I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.  

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Is the theme of prejudice in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice still relevant today?

William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice displays the racial and ethnic prejudices of its time. Those prejudices, however, both preceded Shakespeare's time, and succeeded it. Indeed, the anti-Semitism at the heart of the play was highly symbolic of European cultures for well-over one thousand years. The phenomenon of racial, ethnic or religious animosity towards people of the Jewish faith have been a defining characteristic of mankind since well-before the birth of Jesus, and would see its ultimate manifestation in the systematic murder of six million European Jews during the Holocaust. 

Anti-Semitism resulted in the imposition of strict limitations on the professions open to Jews, and banking and money-lending was one of very few to which Jewish businessmen could aspire. The ironic result of these restrictions was to then create a corollary of the pre-existing anti-Semitism. Jews now became identified with those very financial practices that were open to them. As money-lending generally, as is the case today, involved the charging of interest--a fee to which the borrower agrees upon taking out a loan--a pernicious stereotype developed linking Jews to the charging of interest in exchange for financial aid. So, a people already loathed for their rejection of Christianity were also hated for their participation in the practice of money-lending. It is in this context that one approaches Shakespeare's play. Observe in the following passage from early in The Merchant of Venice the Jewish money-lender Shylock's response to a request for financial assistance from Antonio:

You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine,
And all for use of that which is mine own.
Well then, it now appears you need my help:
Go to, then; you come to me, and you say
'Shylock, we would have moneys:'

Shylock is a pathetic character, reviled by those who would seek his services. Shakespeare's depiction of this character has been widely perceived as an indication of anti-Semitism on the part of the playwright. Whether Shakespeare was himself anti-Semitic, however, is immaterial. After all, one of the play's most enduring scenes involves Shylock's passionate plea for justice in the rigged court near the play's ending. What is for certain, however, is that the character of Shylock, and his treatment by those around him, is highly representative of the treatment of Jews for over a millennia.

Shakespeare's depiction of anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice is as relevant today as when the play was written. In fact, with anti-Semitism on the rise around the world, including in the United States, where extreme right-wing fringe groups and liberal university professors and students have elevated it to heights unseen in many years, the relevance of the play could be considered greater today. Sadly, racial prejudices never really disappear. They may be sublimated for a time, but, under the right conditions, they reappear with a disturbing regularity.

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Are themes like love, anti-semitism and inter-racial marriages in The Merchant of Venice still contemporary?

These themes will always be relevant. For example, the most appalling outbreak of anti-Semitism, when about six million Jews were rounded up and killed by Hitler's Nazis, occurred less than a hundred years ago. Generally speaking, anti-Semitism may exist in a less virulent form in the twenty-first century, but, like other prejudices based on differences between race, religion, culture and creed, it will never quite go away. Similarly, problems in love owing to differences of social class, background and so on have always been present in society. Problems and prejudices of this kind continue to provide much material for literature all over the world.

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