ABSTRACT
There are two main reasons why Shylock is a problem. One lies in the history of the Jews. Dispossessed from their homeland and scattered among other nations, victims of all forms of oppression to the dreadful extremes of pogrom and holocaust, their story should permanently warn against the appalling dangers of all racial prejudice. The second reason why Shylock is a problem lies in the nature of his role. There is no doubt that this is based on anti-Semitic stereotypes, and for that a kind of limited liability is sometimes claimed. There were so few Jews in Elizabethan England that Shakespeare is unlikely to have known any; nor could he have known what would happen subsequently to Shylock’s race. Shylock’s treatment only appears merciful in contrast to the dire penalties with which he is threatened and in accordance with a Christian perspective the Venetians may consider they are favouring a Jew by converting him.
