Jew English Literature. The Reflection Anti-Semitism Racism

Jew English literature. The reflection Anti-Semitism racism in novels plays Jew Malta, Oliver Twist, Shakespeare's works e.g The Merchant venice. With elaboration end racism anti-semitism.

Anti-Semitism in English literature

Anti-Semitism has been present in English culture for centuries, this being particularly obvious through studying literature and how it was influenced as a result of biased thinking. The British society put across its unwillingness to accept Jewish individuals as equals ever since the early second millennium. Lasting from that time and until the late nineteenth century English writers did not hesitate to express their anti-Semite convictions in their field of work. Influential English writers like Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare were actively involved in damaging the image of Jews through the way they presented them in their writings.

Europe has a long history in discriminating Jewish individuals, given that people in the territory came up with a series of false claims meant to hurt the ethnicity. The general public in thirteenth century's Europe compared Jewish men to women and actually believed that they menstruate. "As the fourteen-century Italian astrologer Cecci d'Ascoli writes: "After the death of Christ all Jewish men, like women, suffer menstruation" (Biberman 7).

This can largely be attributed to the fact that Jewish individuals performed circumcision, a process considered to be feminizing at the time. People in Europe during the Dark Ages were inclined to believe that Jews were subhuman and that they could not be compared to Christians in any way. The social position of Jewish people was severely affected at the time, with some people doing everything in their power to undermine Jews. While communities in various parts of Europe have, with time, shown less enthusiasm about persecuting Jews, Englanders have kept their anti-Semite convictions through time and until before the twentieth century as a result of the influence that writers left on British culture (Wistrich).

Anti-Semite thinking has dominated Medieval England, with people in the country inventing numerous absurd concepts relating to Jews and to how they were against the English system and against Christians as a whole. As a result of the general antipathy felt toward Jewish people, the English authorities expelled them from the country under the ruling of King Edward I, in 1290. "The expulsion of the Jews from England initiated a series of responses in the European continent. In 1394, France decided to remove Jews from the country; in 1492, Spain followed suit. Portugal ordered the Jews to leave the country in 1497, and Provence gave the same order in 1502. The next follower was southern Italy in 1541 and then came many other European cities in the next century (qtd in DiCosmo). After the Expulsion, the only Jews remaining in England were the Marranos, who chose to convert to Christianity in order to stay in England, but they still underwent processes of suspicion, interrogation and persecution" (Chien-fu Hsueh 2).

It was not until 1656 when Jews started to return to England, with Oliver Cromwell mediating this event. The community formed as a result of this process has shaped British society as it is known in the present, bringing it a lot of benefits (Wistrich).

In spite that Jews were virtually absent from English society during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries, the British public did not abandon its beliefs a propos Jewish people. Anti-Semitism was still strong in these ages, considering that English culture had been irremediably influenced as a result of Jew stereotypes and did not practically require Jewish people to be physically present in England in order for them to be discriminated. Considering that English writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare lived in times when Jews were presumably absent from England, it seems strange that the all written in regard to Jewish stereotypes. It is not necessarily that these writers were anti-Semite in character, but that they had access to a range of Jewish stereotypes even with the fact that there were virtually no Jews in England at the time (Wistrich).

Jewish people in England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries did not fear a public rebellion against them, as matters were somewhat relaxed in the country. "Much more unsettling for the Jews of the West, especially those seeking acceptance into Gentile circles, was the pervasive disparagement of Judaism and Jews in literature, on the stage, in journals and newspapers, in speeches and debates, in jokes and cartoons" (Endelman 102).

A great deal of Jewish stereotypes were promoted by the world of literature, influencing the masses in forming a biased opinion in regard to Jews, even if numerous people had expressed an impartial nature before coming across the respective literature. It was during the nineteenth century that Jews came to be valued as equals and when discrimination gradually started to lose power (Wistrich).

Geoffrey Chaucer's "Prioress's Tale" from the Second Volume of "The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer" puts across a series of Jewish stereotypes. One could not actually relate to the writer as being anti-Semite, given that it is not obvious that he is actually the one who considers Jews evil or if it is the society in the story that does it.

The story was written somewhere around the late fourteenth century, thus meaning that there were no Jews from who Chaucer could inspire from at the time. The community in the story is mixed, with some of the predominant religions in it being Judaism and Christianity. Christianity however is the dominant religion and contrast "the serpent Sathanas, that hath in Jewes heart his waspe's nest" (Chaucer 252).

The "Prioress's Tale" is likely to be based on a blood libel, with the Christian church from the late fourteenth century going through great efforts to damage the position of minorities-Jews in particular. It is difficult to determine if Chaucer wanted to ridicule the fact that Christians discriminated Jews or whether he actually supported this biased perspective. Judging from the fact that the Prioress is presented as a woman who does not pay great interest to essential values, one might conclude that the author does not appreciate anti-Semitism. The storyline is set in Asia, this most probably being a result of the fact that there were no Jews in England and thus the country could not be used as a setting. The border between satire and anti-Semitism is almost impossible to discern, since Chaucer involved a great deal of elements in the story. All things considered, it is not really important whether Chaucer is anti-Semite or not, as what counts is that he brought forward anti-Semite concepts, which are somewhat difficult to understand as satire, even when they are reviewed by a refined audience. The "Prioress's Tale" is to a certain degree successful because it exaggerates Jewish stereotypes to the point where people come to consider that they are witnessing a satire, and not an account relating to how Jewish individuals are in real life.

Christopher Marlowe's fourth play, "The Jew of Malta," was written somewhere around 1592 and published in the next century, consequent to the writer's death. The play deals with a Jew individual named Barabbas, who reacts violently as a consequence of his wealth being taken away from him. In spite of the fact that Barabbas initially seems a rational man, his mind is corrupted when he is deprived of his money and he comes to behave exactly as everyone who believes in Jewish stereotypes would expect a Jewish individual to act.

Similar to Chaucer, Marlowe placed his protagonist in Malta, as England was still free of Jews at the time when he wrote the play. Marlowe's play can be understood easier than Chaucer, most audiences being likely to realize that the English writer intended the play to serve as satire, as he did not appreciate the way Catholicism functioned and the fact that Jews were generally rejected by the English society.

Anti-Semitism is one of the main themes in the play, this being obvious through the fact that the main character has a lot of stereotypical characteristics. One can immediately identify anti-Semite concepts in the play. However, as the play progresses it slowly but surely becomes clear that it is meant to criticize both Christians and Muslims. The immoral behavior displayed by Christians and Muslims in spite of their professed teachings emphasizes that humans are essentially the same, with religion or ethnicity being of little importance in determining one's character.

The Jewishness that Barabbas expresses is shocking, given that he appears to lose his humanity along with his money. Most people are probable to consider that this "lays the ground for subsequent Jewish characters in English Renaissance literature, and has a lingering influence on the worldly stereotypic image of the Jew in the future ages" (Chien-fu Hsueh 2).

All across the Renaissance period, Englanders were unable to understand Jewish people exactly as they were because they looked into biblical texts and into literature in order to learn more regarding the topic. The Renaissance fueled Christian sentiments and did no justice to the Jew population in England, further contributing to making writers use stereotypes in writing about Jewish individuals (Chien-fu Hsueh 2).

From the very title of the play one can observe how Marlowe wants to discuss Jewish stereotypes, considering that Barabass is the name of the serial killer whom the Jews had chosen with the purpose of being released in exchange for Jesus' life. For a Christian audience living during the Renaissance, this can be more than explanatory regarding the protagonist's character and the character of Jews in general.

While someone might originally be inclined to believe that Marlowe does not discriminate because he presents Christians and Muslims as being degenerate, matters are actually different. Barabbas's reaction to his loss is much too exaggerate and cannot possibly be motivated. Instead of concentrating on linking Barabbas's crimes to the fact that he experienced a great injury, Marlowe focuses on linking the protagonist's actions to his ethnicity. It thus appears as if only Jewish heritage can influence an individual in behaving such as Barabbas, whereas "normal" people would not react similarly, regardless of the circumstances.

Barabbas is apparently guilty even before he becomes a criminal, considering that one of Ferneze's Knights believes that it is not actually abnormal for the Jew to experience downfall. With Jewish people being meant to suffer as a result of the way they treated Jesus, it is only natural for people like Barabbas to be tormented because of their inborn nastiness. Whereas the audience can feel pity and understanding for Barabbas, Marlowe is quick to change that through displaying the protagonist's evil Jewish nature.

The beginning of the second act reveals that Barabbas is indeed very evil and that (according to his claims) he committed a great deal of wrongdoings during his life. The protagonist (and Jews in general) is portrayed as being enthusiastic about doing anything in his power to either rob people, cheat them, and even influence them in abandoning Christianity. Marlowe's story regarding Barabbas's criminal past most probably has the purpose of influencing the audience and not Ithamore-as the story wants people to believe (Chien-fu Hsueh 4). Marlowe has misunderstood a series of concepts on the subject of Judaism, given that he relates to Jews in accordance to English Renaissance misconceptions, and not to how they actually are.

William Shakespeare's plat "The Merchant of Venice" discusses an event involving a Jewish individual (Shylock) as he struggles to undercut Christianity and as his thirst for money get him nothing. In contrast to "The Jew of Malta," Shakespeare's play is less discriminatory toward Jews and can actually be appreciated for its impartiality. In spite of this, most people are inclined to think differently, with "The Jew of Malta" being considered as being less anti-Semite while "The Merchant of Venice" is believed to put across straightforward anti-Semitism. Shakespeare's title however can be compared with Marlowe's with the former's play being likely to have been initially called "The Jews of Venice," especially considering that Shylock's character is somewhat similar to that of Barabbas.

Shylock's behavior makes him an anti-hero, but it is not certain if this is a result of his ethnicity, of his nature, or of both. His villainess can easily be attributed to the fact that his people are badly treated in the territory and because they are constantly persecuted. It seems rather normal for people to react irrationally when being under extreme stress. Even with the fact that they are discriminated, not all the Jews in Venice want to get revenge, with Shylock's own daughter, Jessica, and his friend, Tubal, simply accepting their fate.

Further contributing to Shylock's recognition as a honorable man that is simply unhappy with the system is his speech. "Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer as a Christian is?" (Shakespeare 401). By drawing attention to how there is virtually no difference between himself and Christians Shylock's strengthens the belief that the play is actually meant to condemn anti-Semitism.

In spite of the fact that the play is at times directed at changing public opinion in regard to Jews and to how they are evil, it also presents some concepts that damage the position of Jewish people. Where Christian individuals like Antonio and the Duke of Venice appear to be uninterested in punishing Shylock for the crimes he committed, the Jew heavily contrasts them. Shylock in point of fact seems determined to get his hands on a piece of Antonio's flesh, and he is willing to do so at the expense of twice the sum he initially lent Bassanio.

Anti-Semitism had apparently disappeared from English literature during the early nineteenth century. However, with characters such as Charles Dickens' Fagin from "Oliver Twist" the public was once again reminded that tensions were still high regarding Jewish stereotypes. "Dickens's Fagin and thousands of other less skillfully drawn literary and journalistic portraits reinforced the popular notion that Jews were dangerous creatures, up to no good, untrustworthy and unscrupulous. Jews everywhere came in frequent contact with these popular images, and in the last resort the discomfort they inflicted may have done more to encourage the flight from Jewishness than social exclusion and occupational discrimination" (Endelman 103).

Matters had been relatively normal in the nineteenth century when concerning Jewish discrimination. However, some things had changed and with them society started to be severely influenced as a result. Although Jews were accustomed to being persecuted, they climbed the ladder of society in the nineteenth century and encountered more and more resistance from Christians and especially from influential members of the British community. Jewish individuals has difficulty doing things that seemed perfectly normal, as the rest of society considered them dubious and people were generally hesitant about cooperating with them, regardless of the field of work they were involved in.