The Merchant of Venice
William Shakespeare · 1596-98 · Paper 1 Section A
Context
Written c.1596–98, the play reflects Elizabethan England's complex attitudes toward Jews (expelled in 1290, not readmitted until 1656) and the growing tension between mercantile capitalism and older feudal values. Shakespeare draws on anti-Semitic source material but complicates it, giving Shylock the famous 'Hath not a Jew eyes?' speech that demands recognition of shared humanity.