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The portrayal of Shylock, a Jewish character in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, has been the bud of controversy surrounding the play for decades. The attitude towards Jewish people and the fully charged discriminatory language of the play has resulted in it being banned from many school curriculums. While this attitude towards Jewish people as portrayed in The Merchant of Venice is appalling to modern day folk, this view was traditional for the English society …

…into a tragic hero. This critique extends on through out the whole play and in the end Shylock is punished by having to convert to Christianity. This harsh punishment is Shakespeare’s final critique. Since the punishment is too harsh the audience feels pity for Shylock. My thoughts are that Shakespeare hoped that this pity would raise doubts and questions in the audience of the basis of antisemitic views and the treatment of Jewish people.