THE ROLE OF PREJUDICE IN THE MERCHANT OF VENICE This paper discusses the subject of prejudice in the William Shakespeare play, The Merchant of Venice. I. Introduction William Shakespeare's satirical comedy, The Merchant of Venice, believed to have been written in 1596 was an examination of hatred and greed. The premise deals with the antagonistic relationship between Shylock, a Jewish money-lender and Antonio, the Christian merchant, who is as generous as Shylock is greedy, particularly with …showed first 75 words of 2331 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2331 total…execute' (II.i.55-69). Quite simply, society teaches by example. REFERENCES Auden, W.H. 1965. 'Brothers and Others,' The Dyer's Hands and Other Essays. New York: Random House. Charney, Maurice. 1993. All of Shakespeare. New York: Columbia University Press. Marlowe, Christopher. Ed. Russell A. Fraser and Norman Rabkin. 1976. Drama of the English Renaissance I: The Tutor Period. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. Shakespeare, William. Ed. Kenneth Myrick. 1965. The Merchant of Venice. New York: Signet Books.