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1、Anti-SemitisminTheMerchantofVeniceandTheJewofMaltaElizabethanEnglandproducedtwogreatplaysinvolvingJewishprotagonists,andformostofthepasthundredyearsorsoithasbeengenerallybelievedthatoneoftheseplaysisessentiallydefensiblealthoughhighlyproblematicwhiletheotherissimplyandcrudelyanti-S
2、emitic.TheMerchantofVeniceremainscontroversial,andwithgoodreason,butitisgenerallydefendedandisandcanbeperformedintheEnglish-speakingworldwithoutmuchprotest.TheJewofMalta,Marlowe’searliermasterpiece,ontheotherhandis,infact,notcontroversial:itisgenerallyregardedascrudelyanti-Semitica
3、ndthereforealmostunperformable.Thereareoccasionalpublicreadingsoftheplay,andtherehavebeenoneortwoproductionsinLondonandNewYork,butitsreputationasananti-Semiticranthasrendereditprettywelloutsidethescopeofgeneraltheatricalperformanceandevenundergraduateuniversitycourses.Ithinkthegene
4、ralopinionhasitpreciselybackwards:theMerchantofVeniceis,infact,ananti-Semitictext,albeitattenuatedinmanyimportantwaysandindeeddefensible,13whereastheJewofMaltais,Ithink,notananti-Semitictextatall.Thisisgoingtorequiresomeexplaining,butit’sanimportantpointespeciallytosomeonelikemewho
5、spendsagooddealoftimethinkingabouttheproblemsofdefamationsuchasIslamophobiaandanti-Semitism.TobeginwiththeMerchantofVenice,formostofthehistoryofthereceptionoftheplay,Shylockhasbeenseenasfundamentallyanunsympatheticcharacterifnotavillain.Heisalsooftenseenasacaricatureofagrasping,vic
6、iousandresentfulJew.ThedebateisnotaboutwhetherornotShylockisbad,butreallyisaboutwhetherShylockisbadbecauseheisabadJeworbadbecauseheissimplyaJew.TheplayestablishesquiteclearlythatheandhiscommunityarebadlytreatedinVeniceandsubjecttoviciousdiscrimination,soitcouldbearguedthathecamebyh
7、isragehonestly.ItisalsoarguedthatatleasttwootherJewishcharactersintheplay,TubalandShylock’sowndaughterJessica,arenotcastinabadlight,suggestingthatShylock’smaliceispersonalandparticularratherthancommunalorsectarian.However,Tubal’sroleisexceedinglysmallandJessicaconvertstoChristianit
8、y13andrenouncesJudaismwhil
