Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of VeniceAlthough many consider Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice to be anti-Semitic, careful examination shows that the playwright actually develops the opposite view. These views can easily be established through a careful reading of the play's dialogue, character confrontations, and, more subtly, through indirect thematic developments on the playwright's part that show that on both a simple and complex level, Shakespeare attacks anti-Semitic attitudes. which has been prevalent in the society. for centuries. The words of the work actually challenge anti-Semitism. In one of his most eloquent moments Shylock addresses this prejudice when he verbalizes the equality of all men in Act III, scene 1. He [Antonio] has dishonored men and hindered me half a million; he has laughed at my losses, he has mocked my gains, he has despised my nation, he has hindered my affairs, he has cooled my friends, he has heated my enemies; and what is his reason? I am a Jew. Does a Jew have no eyes? Does a Jew not have hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, wounded by the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and refreshed by the same winter and summer, how is a Christian? If you sting us, won't we bleed? if you tickle us, don't we laugh? if they poison us, don't we die? and if you wrong us, shouldn't we take revenge? The motive of revenge in the play stems from the undeserved mistreatment of first Shylock by Antonio and then of Antonio by Shylock. On simple levels Shakespeare shows bigotry and prejudice in all its ugliness through the use of anti-Semitic attitudes. Shakespeare dispels the premise of anti-Semitism by establishing marked similarities between Shylock and his antagonists in the play. Antonio and Shylock are both businessmen intent on making money and have allowed this pursuit to become their main goal. In the aforementioned speech, Shylock indicates that his hatred arises from the hatred shown towards him by others (particularly Antonio). Since there is no valid justification for Antonio's attitudes, he serves as a vehicle to demonstrate the emptiness of prejudice formed without foundation. This is reasonably obvious even to the casual reader. More subtly Shakespeare, through the use of caskets, presents a truism regarding the contrasts between external appearances and internal reality leading to the prevailing idea that one must look beyond the surface..