see also the elegant “Shackespeare and the jews” of James Shapiro and “The kidnaping of Eduardo Mortara”. After these readings who is merciless? The jew or the gentile ?

Since the Earl of Oxford wrote the plays, and he a world traveler (oddly enough, Oxford had spent time in all the places the plays touch during his travels), he certainly knew his share of all peoples.

Jews were re-admitted into England by Oliver Cromwell. Despite regular attempts to smear his name by an unusual teaming up of Royalists and Irish Catholics, Cromwell actually stood up for persecuted religious minorities such as Quakers at potentially great personal cost.

I get the impression that Shakespeare was working on two levels in _The Merchant of Venice_. On one level, he was appealing to the antisemitism of his audience by telling a story of the Good Christians foiling the wicked plot of the Bad Jew. On another level, he was telling his Christian audience, “You know how you always complain about Jews being greedy and merciless? Guess what, guys, you’re _just as bad._”