Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

Nicole Manter
Purdue University Calumet
A Man Beyond His Years:
Shakespeare and the Issue of Inequality in The Merchant of Venice
Because we are the fortunate residents of contemporary United States, we are familiar with the
seemingly inalienable rights and privileges of freedom, respect, and equality. As a result, it is easy for us to
forget the myriad of hurdles and horrific struggles faced by the individuals lining our history books who
often suffered for the luxuries they never experienced and the extravagances we mistakenly take for
granted. Born of flesh, blood, and with the ability to critically think, we, as humans, are intrinsically equal
in every measure. This message, at the heart of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, resonates loudly
throughout the subtext of the timeless “comedy.”
Why are Shakespeare and The Merchant of Venice important to study? Arguably, the most crucial of
reasons is to gain an historical understanding of freedom, so that we may appreciate the liberties we relish
today. Can you imagine a life without the separation of church and state or a time in which you were
prohibited autonomies because of the genetic predetermination of skin color or sex? Can you envision being
considered less than human? In examining The Merchant of Venice, we must place ourselves in the positions of
Shylock, the play’s stereotypically Jewish antagonist, and Portia, a wealthy noble cursed with the affliction
of being born female.
During the Elizabethan Era, when Shakespeare penned The Merchant of Venice (1596-1598), Jews
were considered a deplorable “alien” race. They were considered less than human and had no rights
including the ownership of property, the freedom to practice their own religion, or the ability to work in
any trade with the exception of money lending upon interest, a practice which was looked down upon by
the Christian majority. Jews were burned at the stake and accused of spreading the Bubonic Plague, for
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