ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that a sentimentalized version of Shylock was used to shore up positive values associated with the British Empire for over two centuries beginning around 1800. The editing of The Merchant of Venice arguably still participates in a centuries-old pattern of insulating Shakespeare from negative elements of colonization with which that luminous name could not be associated — in particular, for this play, with the role played by money in the advancement of empire. The chapter discusses a few striking cases in which evidence that might prompt us to link Shylock with proto-imperial elements in Shakespeare's England is ignored, paradoxically, in order to save a colonially inspired Shakespeare who stands out as a beacon of enlightened civility from the darkness and prejudice of his times. The speech prefix "Jew" is especially prevalent at points in the play in which the action resonates with traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes.
