Shakespeare and the Jews [Paperback]

James Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1997 | ISBN-10: 023110345X | ISBN-13: 978-0231103459

Going against the grain of the dominant scholarship on the period, which generally ignores the impact of Jewish questions in early modern England, James Shapiro presents how Elizabethans imagined Jews to be utterly different from themselves----in religion, race, nationality, and even sexuality. From strange cases of Christians masquerading as Jews to bizarre proposals to settle foreign Jews in Ireland, this book looks into the crisis of cultural identity in Elizabethan England and sheds new light on The Merchant of Venice.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Merchant of Venice has long been a problem play for lovers of Shakespeare. How could the greatest playwright in English, renowned for his depth of humanity, create a crude anti-Semitic stereotype like Shylock? The problem has been approached in diverse ways, from branding Shakespeare as an anti-Semite to interpreting his play as a nuanced depiction of Elizabethan anti-Semitism. James Shapiro, a professor of English at Columbia University, sets the problem within a wider field by examining the historical, social, and cultural status of the Jews in Shakespeare's England. He reveals that the Elizabethan view of the Jews was loaded with a complex symbolism that resonates throughout this play. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

What Shapiro shows convincingly is how deeply Shakespeare's play dug into the fantasies, anxieties and pleasures of its audience.

(New York Times Book Review )

Shapiro not only explodes the myth of the absent Jew but, more significantly, explores how literature conveys such notions.

(Tikkun )

A groundbreaking study of Elizabethan anti-Semitism that offers a shockingly long pedigree for Shakespeare's Shylock.

(Kirkus Reviews )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 023110345X
• ISBN-13: 978-0231103459
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #410,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Jewish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly well documented., December 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Shakespeare and the Jews (Paperback)

The information in this book will astonish one regarding how deeply the English were obsessed with Jews. Because Jews were absent from England for three centuries the English had only the bible and their imagination to inform them about Jews. The Christian bible promoted negative attitudes and the belief that the messiah would come when all Jews became Christians brought up interesting complications that to this day disturb the Vatican! Christianity, the religion of love certainly produced plenty of hate. The analysis of Shylock is extremely interesting and contrary to what we learned in school. The author supplies verses from the original which are usually excluded from present day performances. I now have new insights into Shakespeare and English history.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Historical Scholarship, May 13, 2008

By 

Uber Fantastic (Vancouver, B.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shakespeare and the Jews (Hardcover)

Shapiro's book is extremely well-documented and follows the recent trend of scholarship on nationalism and its effects on the "Other." It is a fascinating read that never gets weighed down by its own research. I suspect this may have something to do with Shapiro's buoyant narrative, which exudes a sense of wonder of what's being conveyed. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in English history, Jewish history, or simply history in general. It's truly a great study.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable Historical Scholarship, December 16, 2006

By 

Gregory T. Lombardo (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shakespeare and the Jews (Hardcover)

Professor Shapiro has since become known as a more popular Shakespearean critic. This book shows his depth as a historical scholar. The book's title understates the breadth of its scholarship. Its subject is important not only to the Shakespearean scholar but to anyone interested in religious history and the history of Jews in the Christian world up to the Renaissance.

Gregory T. Lombardo MD, PhD