Antonio: The other Jew in The Merchant of Venice
Literator
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Antonio: The other Jew in The Merchant of Venice | |
| Creator | Finn, S. M. | |
| Description | Antonio’s melancholy and his excessive hatred of Shylock are two puzzling aspects of The Merchant of Venice, most critics agreeing that the cause of the first is never revealed. However, the two (melancholy and mutual detestation) are closely linked. Antonio’s state of mind, his confusion, is brought on by his being (or, more accurately, having been) a Jew, too, who will always have to play the role of the born Christian. His original religious orientation is revealed throughout the play, showing him to be a converted Jew, or marrano (from the Spanish meaning “swine”), a type of person distrusted and abhorred by both “Old Christians” and Jews. Remarks throughout the play bear this out, and make it understandable why Shylock insists on Antonio’s heart, this being understood in Shakespeare’s day to be the centre of religious identity: he wishes to reclaim a Jewish soul. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 1989-05-07 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/lit.v10i1.819 | |
| Source | Literator; Vol 10, No 1 (1989); 16-25 Literator; Vol 10, No 1 (1989); 16-25 2219-8237 0258-2279 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/819/989
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