| This paper analyzes the characters in William Shakespeare's comedy The Merchant of Venice and compares the cultures of sixteenth-century Venice and England to explain that ethics and morality are often disregarded for self-interest.;Christian, Jewish, and Aristotelian teachings on ethics, morality, and virtue are discussed in Chapter I. There are significant similarities between the three. First is the concept that the individual chooses to be good or not. Secondly, the individual is responsible to others. Indifference to morality leads to disunity and bitterness between people in a society.;Sixteenth-century English and Venetian cultures are analyzed in Chapter II. Again, similarities are found. In both societies, ethics and morality were neglected for the acquisition of wealth and power. Corruption, disunity, and hypocrisy were pervasive. Prejudice was institutionalized and many were exploited and persecuted, including the Jews.;Chapter III is an analysis of the Christians, Antonio and Portia, and Shylock the Jew. Antonio and Portia do not signify any Christian virtue but sixteenth-century Venetian Christians who placed ego above morality. This is most evident in their treatment of Shylock. Shylock is the most sympathetic character, but is defeated by an unjust judicial system, hypocritical Christians, and his seething, consuming revenge.;Ultimately, it is proven that the neglect of ethics and morality leads to corruption and hypocrisy and the infliction of pain onto our fellow human beings. |
