Customer Reviews

Shakespeare and the Jews

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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.

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.

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

I learned a great deal from this book. It is well written, serious cultural history. I would recommend it strongly to anyone interested in the period, the Merchant of Venice,and English attitudes toward Jews.