Part 1 of Essay
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice contains many examples that insult Jews because they were the minority in London in Shakespeare’s time. Although many parts of the play could be interpreted as offensive in modern times, Elizabethan audiences found them comical. The majority of London’s population at the time wa ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... Launcelot accepts a new job with Bassanio as his master, he is reminded that Bassanio is much poorer than Shylock. His reply to Bassanio was, “You have the grace of / God, sir, and he [Shylock] hath enough.” (2.2.139-40) Lorenzo insults Shylock behind his back when he tells Jessica (Shylock’s daughter) that if Shylock ever makes it to heaven, it is only because Jessica converted to Christianity. Lorenzo said, “If e’er the Jew her father come to heaven, / It will be for his gentle daughter’s sake…” (2.4.36-7) Whe ....