Why not do as we Jews do and maybe either put some self-depricating humour or make fun of the elements thought to be anti-Semitic? Simple as that, just present it the right way.

he would do well by reading http://bostonreview.net/BR30.2/stone.php http://www.english.upenn.edu/~cmazer/mvnews.html and http://www.jcrelations.net/Antisemitism+in+English+Literature%3A+The+Shakespeare+Case.2213.0.html?L=3 shutting one's eyes to the major themes of a play does not for great theater make.

A few years ago I saw the movie version starring Al Pacino. Acting was fine, as were the production values, but the message it sent left me feeling sick. The Jew is portrayed as mean, cruel, vengeful, willing to take a life just for spite (in the process violating two of the Noahide laws). And in the end, Christians triumph, taking everything he holds dear - his daughter, his wealth, his name and his faith.

The “Merchant of Venice” can be taken as either ant-Semitic or showing the plight of Jews. This argument has been raging for some time and probably to some degree both sides are right. In must be remembered that in the Elizabethan time Jews were indeed prosecuted and vilified. Jews became money lenders as the Church prevented Christians from taking interest, making the lending of money unprofitable and as the Jews were forbidden most other occupations money lending became one of the few ways to make a living. While the play depicts Shylock as mean because he wants his money returned or the terms of his contract be fulfilled it was quite common in those days to simply ignore loans and refuse to pay them back and he felt a severe penalty would insure repayment of the loan. The Christians in the play are shown to be contentious of the Jews and use any ploy to not repay the loan or fulfill their contract. Shylocks daughter wants to be on the winning side and is tired of her Jewish second class status. When taken overall Shylock is a very sad figure indeed.

Shakespeare never met a Jew. The Jews were expelled from England in 1290 and were permitted to return during the 1650s when Oliver Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector.

There were in fact no Jews in England in Elizabethan times. They were expelled in 1290 and not permitted entry again until the time of Cromwell !!

The expulsion of Jews by Queen Elizabeth was not 100% there were still some Jews in England although they were not recognized and counted. Here is an excerpt from a history article: Between the expulsion of Jews in 1290 and their formal return in 1655, there is no official trace of Jews as such on English soil except in connection with the Domus Conversorum, which kept a number of them within its precincts up to 1551 and even later. An attempt was made to obtain a revocation of the edict of expulsion as early as 1310, but in vain. Notwithstanding, a certain number of them appear to have come back; for complaints were made to the king in 1376 that some of those trading as Lombards were Jews ("Rot. Parl." ii. 332a). Occasionally permits were given to individuals to visit England, as in the case of Dr. Elyas Sabot in 1410, but it was not until the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and Portugal in 1497 that any considerable number of Sephardic Jews found refuge in England] One of these as early as 1493 attempted to recover no less a sum than 428,000 maravedis which the refugees from Spain had entrusted to Diego de Soria. In 1542 many were arrested on the suspicion of being Jews, and throughout the sixteenth century a number of persons named Lopez, possibly all of the same family, took refuge in England, the best known of them being Rodrigo Lopez, physician to Queen Elizabeth, and who is said to have been the origin of Shylock. Besides certain distinguished converts like Immanuel Tremellius and Philip Ferdinand, the most remarkable visitor was Joachim Gaunse, who introduced new methods of mining into England Occasional visitors, like Alonzo de Herrera and Simon Palache in 1614,

My words were thus : I am a Goy .Hath not a goy eyes ? Hath not a Goy hands ,organs ,dimensions ,senses ,affections ,passions ; fed with the same food ,hurt with the same weapons ,subject to the same diseases , healed by the same means ,warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer as a Jew is ? If you prick us do we not bleed ? If you tickle us ,do we not laugh

#4, You were seeing it as that director portrayed him. It is quite possible the director was an anti-Semite. A different director could portray Shylock in an entirely different light. #8, I am impressed, Lawrence. Many Americans cannot understand Early Modern English, much less people for whom English is not their native tongue.

When is the last time the Jewish public here in Israel saw a play musical film or tv production that showed Jewish Civilization in a positive light in this country???? Jewish communities in other countries have them but they are not to be found anywhere in the "Jewish" homeland. Public funded Channel 8 shows non stop24/7 "documentaries" filled with loathing and hate of all that is Jewish Something is very rotten here with the dispension of funds for the "arts"