Compare on the treatment of marginalized communities in today's world and Shakespeare's treatment of shylock in merchant of Venice
Answers
When it becomes clear that Shylock cannot physically receive his bond, he seeks to collect the repayment of his loan as offered by Antonio's friend in six thousand ducats. Portia prevents this repayment by reminding him that he has already refused that sum and it is no longer available. In addition, she lays charges on Shylock of plotting Antonio's murder, respite from which he can gain only by conferring half of his property to the state treasury and the other half to Antonio. Antonio also requests that Shylock convert to Christianity, and this is carried out as a sentence by the Duke's decree. At the trial's end, Shylock leaves the court a defeated man.
An important theme of hate and discrimination courses throughout the play. It is necessary to establish that the predominantly Christian Venetian society, loathes its Jewish residents. Incidents of hatred are perpetrated against Jews routinely. For example, Shylock is spat upon by Antonio at the very opening of the play. The Jews in the play are also sequestered in a ghetto that is locked at night, indicating their otherness and isolation from the dominant community.
Evidently, Antonio is openly defaming Shylock, an act that might arguably be reprimanded by law. However, there is no mention of the protection of the law for Shylock, even as his livelihood is jeopardized by the acts of Antonio. While the story is set in Venice, Shakespeare was writing in late sixteenth to early seventeenth century England. Thus, it is possible to make the argument that there was legal protection accorded to the reputation of a person from its defamation by another. However, in this case such protection was unavailable due to Shylock being a Jewish person who inherently faced discrimination from the state. In fact, Jews who lived in Venice in the sixteenth century faced state enforced oppression.