Why Is The Merchant Of Venice Controversial In Schools?

There are lots of reasons why The Merchant of Venice is one of the most contentious works on many school syllabi: on the one hand it is a work of literature of the highest order, a clever play that poses lots of big questions about the nature of mercy, about the role of the law, and about disguise of all kinds. On the other hand the play centers on Shylock, that most famous of Jewish moneylenders, and is replete with all sorts of stereotypical representation of Jews as well as numerous instances of cruel and abusive treatment of that character. And to make matters worse, there is plenty of language and humor that is pretty hateful to many modern readers.

This came up in a painful way for me when I was in college and saw a production of the play that grounded Shylock as a fully realized, human, and even kind and generous figure. The audience was uncomfortable in a very different way than when he was played as a money-lending, termite-like, troll-like villain. One reason that schools continue to grapple with this play is that there are real and fraught choices that teachers have to make. You could ban the play, and it would likely be the right thing to ban, because of its potential to be hurtful to students from marginalized communities. But to teach the play with any sort of context and to give students tools by which to read it critically, is to show students how to be readers of a text that could be hurtful, but to read it in such a way that wouldn’t be hurtful. Some schools won’t teach it at all in order to avoid backlash. Other schools include the historical context of antisemitism, invite in scholars and community members to speak to issues of prejudice in the play, and/or pair it with other texts from different time periods that challenge stereotypes in similar ways.

I encountered Shakespeare in high school and continued to vigorously argue with him through late-night study sessions. The controversy surrounding Shakespeare and especially Shylock has always been deeply emotional for me and many others. The way in which Shylock is portrayed in The Merchant of Venice is often harshly and blatantly anti-Jewish. Many Jewish students have reported feeling alienated or even offended when reading through the unpleasant stereotypes of their ancestors. Furthermore, parents and administrators are worried that the work could be used to promote stereotyping rather than providing a window into the past and the attitudes that led to such discrimination. My friends and I often disagreed as to whether Shylock is fully humanized in the play. The famous speech in which he asks if a Jew has not eyes too often serves as a turning point in these sorts of discussions.

From my perspective, it’s best to thoughtfully decide whether or not to teach a particular work, and then provide students with appropriate scaffolding to aid in their reading of the work. The teacher can give students supplementary historical texts about the attitudes of Elizabethan England, as well as write by Jewish scholars and writers who respond to the play. Alternatively, he or she could provide students with similar alternative texts that do not have the same stereotypical content. Perhaps even teach selected scenes as opposed to the entire play, focusing in on specific performance choices that either challenge or support negative stereotypes. The goal of such a practice is to create a safe space for students to explore the negative effects of a text while at the same time honing their critical reading skills and teaching them the right lessons about a work of literature.

There’s a lot to navigate when discussing the controversy surrounding The Merchant of Venice in schools. For one, there is the matter of history (persecution of Jews in Shakespeare’s time), performance (amplifying negative stereotypes for centuries), and ethics (antisemitic language and a plot which supports mistreatment of a Jewish character). The play is also highly analyzable and ripe for discussion of power, identity and real mercy vs. arbitrary law. The infamous cross-dressing of Portia is, of course, another great entry point for exploration of identity. What I try to do when discussing this with friends and parents of students is offer a few examples of how to productively tackle the controversial elements of the play. First, provide historical context for why Jews were persecuted in Shakespeare’s time. Then, read contemporary responses to or adaptations of the play by Jewish writers. Finally, allow students to critique the staging choices that humanize or negatively characterize Shylock. Whether schools choose to avoid teaching the play entirely or heavily frame it around its controversial elements, it is most important that we acknowledge the controversy exists and try to use it as an opportunity for good discussion and reflection.