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Questions for April 5 responses: Note that there are eight suggestions here, but you should respond to only five of them. In five short essays of 200-250 words, respond to five out of the following six questions/prompts and post your responses on the course webboard. (1) Describe the popular English conception of Venice, as it is described by Lindsay Kaplan's introduction to the section on Venice from Merchant of Venice Texts and Contexts and the excerpts from early modern writers on the topic (see pp. 121-143). Discuss some examples of how this conception of Venice informs the representation of Venice in Shakespeare's play. |
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(2) Describe the traditional Judao-Christian prohibitions on "usury" and how this tradition affects finance and lending in early modern Europe, drawing on Lindsay Kaplan's introduction to the section on finance from Merchant of Venice Texts and Contexts and the excerpts from early modern writers on the topic (see pp. 187-204). Note: the Old Testament laws on usury--Exodus 25:25; Leviticus 25:35 and Deuteronomy 23:19 are reprinted in Kaplan, p. 194. You also may find the excerpt I have provided from Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror useful background for this. Discuss how these attitudes toward money and lending inform one or more of the conflicts and/or relationships among the characters in Shakespeare's play. (3) Describe the difference between Shylock's and Antonio's interpretations of Jacob's dealings with Laban in Act I, scene iii, lines 62-86, and discuss the "logic" of this difference for early modern Christians who appropriated the Old Testament as their own and represented themselves as God's "chosen people," rather than the Jews. (4) Describe the difference in representations of "Daniel" found in the Book of Daniel from the King James Version and other protestant Bibles from the "Daniel" found in the Book of Susannah. Discuss Thomas Luxon's argument (see especially paragraphs 8-15) about how these two different versions of "Daniel" inform Shylock's "Jewish" perspective on the case against Antonio versus the other Venetians' "Christian" perspective on the case. (5) Describe popular attitudes toward Jews and conceptions of Judaism in Shakespeare's England, drawing on Lindsay Kaplan's introduction to the section on finance from Merchant of Venice Texts and Contexts and the excerpts from early modern writers on the topic (see pp. 241-255; 288-307). Discuss one or more examples of how these attitudes are developed, thematically and dramatically in Shakespeare's play. (6) Describe Launcelot's parody of Jacob receiving Isaac's blessing in Act II, scene ii, and discuss the implications of this scene for Biblical interpretation and/or traditional belief and ritual. (7) Describe the conflict that Launcelot faces (in Act II, scene ii) between his Christian duty to obey his master (Shylock) (see Ephesians 6:5; Collossians 3:22; 1 Timothy 6:1-5; and Titus 2:9-10) and his Christian duty not to serve the Devil (who, in the view of early modern Christians, was represented by Shylock). How does this conflict reflect the general situation of the Venetian merchant class in relation to usury and Jewish money-lenders like Shylock? Note: I have included below the key passages on the duties of servants from the New Testament; for accounts of traditional Christian anti-Jewish prejudice see Kaplan's discussion of "Nation, Race and Religion" (pp. 128-31 and/or the excerpt I have provided from Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror. |
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(8) Discuss any aspect of The Merchant of Venice and/or the supplementary readings that you find particularly interesting. |
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*New Testament passages on the duties of servants to their masters: Ephesians 6:5 Colossians 3:22
Colossians 4:1
1 Timothy 6:1-5
Titus 2:9-10 1 Peter 2:18
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