https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/il-pecorone-an-italian-source-for-the-merchant-of-venice
Like much of the rest of Europe, England severely restricted the rights of Jews. In fact, Jews
were banished completely from England in 1290 by King Edward I, and were not officially
allowed to return until 1655, when Oliver Cromwell allowed Jews to return. This exile was
technically in effect during Shakespeare's time, but scholars believe that a few hundred Jews
still lived around London in the guise of Christians. One of the reasons Renaissance Christians
disliked Jews was the Jews' willingness to practice usury—the practice of charging interest or
"use" on borrowed money. There was a long tradition in Classical and Christian moral thinking
against usury. Shakespeare's contemporary, the philosopher and statesman Sir Francis Bacon,
argued in his essay On Usury that it was "against nature for money to beget money."
—--------
There is often much debate over the title of this play. Many academics believe the play should
have been called The Jew of Venice, but suspect that Shakespeare wanted to differentiate his
play from Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta. However, perhaps it is no mistake that the word
‘merchant’ is in the title as the play seems to revolve around the dissemination of money: who
has it, who wants it, who loses, who gains. The characters who end the play surrounded by
wealth are the happy ones. Modern productions have tended to focus heavily on the commercial
elements of this play, often choosing a corporate setting. These productions often show that
there is no difference between the money-lender or the merchant, that they are both interested
in personal gain, and neither one has necessarily pure intentions, despite the play’s ending.
Like much of the rest of Europe, England severely restricted the rights of Jews. In fact, Jews
were banished completely from England in 1290 by King Edward I, and were not officially
allowed to return until 1655, when Oliver Cromwell allowed Jews to return. This exile was
technically in effect during Shakespeare's time, but scholars believe that a few hundred Jews
still lived around London in the guise of Christians. One of the reasons Renaissance Christians
disliked Jews was the Jews' willingness to practice usury—the practice of charging interest or
"use" on borrowed money. There was a long tradition in Classical and Christian moral thinking
against usury. Shakespeare's contemporary, the philosopher and statesman Sir Francis Bacon,
argued in his essay On Usury that it was "against nature for money to beget money."
—--------
There is often much debate over the title of this play. Many academics believe the play should
have been called The Jew of Venice, but suspect that Shakespeare wanted to differentiate his
play from Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta. However, perhaps it is no mistake that the word
‘merchant’ is in the title as the play seems to revolve around the dissemination of money: who
has it, who wants it, who loses, who gains. The characters who end the play surrounded by
wealth are the happy ones. Modern productions have tended to focus heavily on the commercial
elements of this play, often choosing a corporate setting. These productions often show that
there is no difference between the money-lender or the merchant, that they are both interested
in personal gain, and neither one has necessarily pure intentions, despite the play’s ending.
