Part one of term paper
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice contains many examples that insult Jews because they were the minority in London in Shakespeare’s time. Although many parts of the play could be interpreted as offensive in modern times, Elizabethan audiences found them comical. The majority of London’s population at the time wa ...

Part two of term paper
... is that he works for Shylock, who is Jewish. Launcelot persuades himself that, “Certainly the Jew [Shylock] is the very devil incarnation…” (2.2.24) Eventually, Launcelot convinces himself that he would much rather run away than be ruled by a Jew. Launcelot presents this argument to his father: “I am a Jew if I serve the Jew any longer.” (2.2.104) Before Launcelot accepts a new job with Bassanio as his master, he is reminded that Bassanio is much poorer than Shy ...