THE ROLE OF PREJUDICE IN THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

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Term Paper Title	THE ROLE OF PREJUDICE IN THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
# of Words	2406
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	9.62

THE ROLE OF PREJUDICE IN THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

  This paper discusses the subject of prejudice in the William Shakespeare
  play, The Merchant of Venice.

  I.  Introduction
     William Shakespeare's satirical comedy, The Merchant of Venice,
  believed to have been written in 1596 was an examination of hatred and
  greed.  The premise deals with the antagonistic relationship between
  Shylock, a Jewish money-lender and Antonio, the Christian merchant, who
  is as generous as Shylock is greedy, particularly with his friend,
  Bassanio.  The two have cemented a history of personal insults, and
  Shylock's loathing of Antonio intensifies when Antonio refuses to
  collect interest on loans.  Bassanio wishes to borrow 3,000 ducats from
  Antonio so that he may journey to Belmont and ask the beautiful and
  wealthy Portia to marry him.  Antonio borrows the money from Shylock,
  and knowing he will soon have several ships in port, agrees to part with
  a pound of flesh if the loan is not repaid within three months.
  Shylock's abhorrence of Antonio is further fueled by his daughter
  Jessica's elopement with Lorenzo, another friend of Antonio's.
     Meanwhile, at Belmont, Portia is being courted by Bassanio, and
  wedding plans continue when, in accordance with her father's will,
  Bassanio is asked to choose from three caskets -- one gold, one silver
  and one lead.  Bassanio correctly selects the lead casket that contains
  Portia's picture.  The couple's joy is short-lived, however, when
  Bassanio receives a letter from Antonio, informing him of the loss of
  his ships and of Shylock's determination to carry out the terms of the
  loan.  Bassanio and Portia marry, as do his friend, Gratiano and
  Portia's maid, Nerissa.
     The men return to Venice, but are unable to assist Antonio in
  court.  In desperation, Portia disguises herself as a lawyer and arrives
  in Venice with her clerk (Nerissa) to argue the case.  She reminds
  Shylock that he can only collect the flesh that the agreement calls for,
  and that if any blood is shed, his property will be confiscated.  At
  this point, Shylock agrees to accept the money instead of the flesh, but
  the court punishes him for his greed by forcing him to become a
  Christian and turn over half of his property to his estranged daughter,
  Jessica.
  II.  Body
     Prejudice is a dominant theme in The Merchant of Venice, most
  notably taking the form of anti-semitism.  Sh...

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