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Literature
Written in the mid-1590's by William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice is considered one of his first romantic comedies. It features dramatic scenes and the vengeful Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
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During an age in which women’s roles in society and literature were strictly limited, this play gives a glimpse of early feminism. The character of Portia is a very influential and commanding female who triumphs over both male protagonists, Shylock and Bassanio. The play has also been made use of by antisemites throughout history. The Nazis used Shylock for their propaganda as to why Jews are dirty and evil. Much of English literature up until the 20th century depicts the Jew as "a monied, cruel, lecherous, avaricious outsider tolerated only because of his golden hoard". Today though, The Merchant of Venice is just another example of the sophisticated characters and themes that were created in literature during the Renaissance.
Shakespeare's early classical and Italianate comedies, containing tight double plots and precise comic sequences, give way in the mid-1590s to the romantic atmosphere of his greatest comedies. The Merchant of Venice is an example of a new type of literature introduced during the Rebirth.
