Is Venice a Christian state (governed by religious law) or a commercial state (governed by the law of commerce)? Which value has proved dominant thus far in the text and why? What are the larger implications of having a state governed both by industry AND religion?
11 comments:
I think that Venice likes to think that it is a commercial state, but in truth is ruled by christians. Commerce plays a large part in the everyday lives of everyone we have met in the play so far, but above this religion makes it so that christians are the only people that have any status in this society. This means that although commerce plays a large part religion has more influence. With both industry and religion in this society, there is always going to be conflict surrounding these two topics. This may cause issues later on in the play relating to where characters believe is more important.
-Aidan Sweeny
I think that Venice is primarily a commercial state, but is colored by a predominantly Christian and prejudiced populace. Despite Shylock's status as a Jew, he is important in its society due to his status as a lender of money, which is an important part of commerce and their economy. However, the culture in the city itself is predominantly Christian, which results in prejudice of varying degrees, as seen in Antonio's treatment of Shylock and Shylock's fear of the Christian festival-goers in Act 2 Scene 3. The administration and state itself, however, I believe is primary commerce-based, but there is definitely prejudice towards Christians. Both Shylock and Antonio have important positions in the economy, but Antonio is treated far better than Shylock.
-George
In my interpretation I saw Venice as a economic based city held up by religious underpinnings. With the amount of focus that is placed on Shylock as a money lender and the way that he known to people like Antonio who are known to have a huge amount of influence within Venice. As well as the way that Jews are pushed to a quarter of the city like a pen, there is a clear religious control as well because judging by what we have seen of the moneylenders of Venice they have the ability to accumulate a vast amount of wealth and in an economically based city, money would prove to be the greatest factor in home choice and location which it proves to not be in this story.
I think that Venice is more of a Christian state than it is a commercial one, mainly because of the way Venetians treat the Jewish money-lenders. If Venice was truly a commercial state, their important role in the community would be highly valued, and they would be well respected. Even their practice of charging interest would be considered an important part of the economy, as it is today. But this is not the case. Christian prejudice and Christian teachings overshadow monetary concerns, pushing Jewish people to the edges of society regardless of their importance in the economy. Although both Antonio and Shylock work in the realm of money, their positions are very different, not determined by anything other than the religious atmosphere of the time, which is so Anti-Semitic that Jewish people must live in a separate part of the city.
-Renée
I think that Venice is a state governed by religion (chiefly religious prejudice) over commerce. Commerce is undeniably a very vital part of Venice culture and society. The majority of action we see in the play revolves around money, the problems it causes, and love. However, the religious tensions underlay all of these interactions and therefore has a larger role in the governance of the state. Looking back, it is hard to find any sort of interaction where Shylock’s judaism is not mentioned, if not a driving force of the scene. So far, the text fails a religious Bechtel test of sorts. In addition, if Venice valued a commercial state foremost, than Shylock, a moneylender, would occupy a much higher status than he does now and garner the respect of Christians and non-Christians alike. However this is not the case because he is shunned to the money of the social ladder as a result of his religious beliefs. In a larger sense, having a state governed by both religion and commerce creates deep-seated, unresolvable conflict. Although my religious knowledge is extremely lacking, from what I can tell in the text, the Bible has very specific notions regarding money and those often oppose the rules of commerce. When two different factions of people believe so deeply in their own laws and values, there is bound to be conflict, but there is no way of deciding whose beliefs are “right” and “wrong".
-Rebecca
Like many other cities at the time, I would consider Venice to be chiefly dominated by religion over the value law of commerce. This is mainly based over the religious prejudice against the Jewish community and the social structure of the city. It appears to be that much of the upper class is comprised of Christians while much of the lower class is comprised of the Jews. With that in mind, the overwhelming majority of the city's money lenders happen to be Jewish, and if the city was only a commercial state then the Jews would have the majority of the power. The city's power balance, at the current spot, leans heavily in the religious direction, however the two things play integral roles in the social makeup of Venice. Because the state is governed by both, it keeps once group from getting ALL the power.
My interpretation is that Venice is a state that, much like America, is a materialistic and commercial state that is upheld by Christian values to a degree where it would be very easy to see it as a religious state. While the source of the hatred for Shylock among the other characters in the play is mostly because of his religion, the reason that Jews were so hated in the first place was their success in business compared to the Christians of the time as well as their practice of usury, which helped them economically at the expense of the Christians. While all the characters use religious justifications for their actions, such as Shylock wanting to kill Antonio due to the persecution he has faced from him, Shylock would never have been driven to such an extreme if he had received his repayment in the first place. Only in his rage over not being paid does his anger evolve into a moral crusade against Christians. Portia and her friends in Belmont are under the impression that paying twenty times the sum of the initial loan will solve the problem, giving further credence to the idea that in this world, money rules everything. The viewer still doesn't know whether Shylock will accept the overwhelmingly large sum in exchange for Antonio's life, but the fact that underneath the surface the characters' actions are money driven leads me to believe that Venice is first and foremost a commercial state.
Michael
Throughout the play I have envisioned a more commerce ran the government of Venice, however, it is clear that Christianity is the societal norm and religion plays a key role in one's identity. Jewish people are forced to wear a specific hat when out in public and are treated very poorly by Christians. This shows the societal hierarchy of religion in Venice. Additionally, we can see the anti-Semitism of Venice through Shylock's character. He is portrayed as less than the average character and not as important. His feuds with Antonio show the exact language and cruelty that Jewish people are being treated with in Venice. While I imagine religion stays out of the government, it is clearly part of one's identity in society.
Despite the fact that Jews are definitely mistreated and religion plays a strong part in social interactions, Venice is a city much more centered around commerce. The impression of the the type of society that has culminated in Venice at the time of this text seems like a progressive, un-traditional one that would affront some of the most strictly religious. The overall flamboyancy of some of these insider characters indicates that religious rule does not dictate social behavior. Venice also seems like a very malleable economic landscape, with people like Antonio giving full faith in early trade, and going to jail for not paying off debt. Clearly, money is an especially driving factor in Venice while religion is simply tense as per usual.
Timmy
As an important port, Venis represent a unique view into the way in which religious leaders deal with foreign religions and laws. The Venetian government must use a commercial system of law because of the large amount of immigrants and foreign merchants. Though Italy represents a Christian state, the percent of jews and other foreigners necessitates a law within the city that supports a common law. The majority Christian society is visible throughout the play. Given the importance of religious differences within the play, it is interesting that the law that favors a jew would be presented to an Elizabethan audience. Without the support of the law, there would be a much more limited mercantile presence in Venice. The two different systems are at play when we see Antonio and Shylock in jail. Playing with religion and appeasing foreign investors in the city gives us an interesting view into the city's dynamics.
-Gray Downs
Venice is comprised of people with differing religious backgrounds, however, the state itself is a commercial state. It is a country that is booming with economic gains such as trade and wealth; Because many Jewish people, like Shylock, are moneylenders and because there is a social hierarchy, the country primarily fueled by money to keep itself stable. Because Jewish people are so cautiously kept away from Christian people, it is easy to see that the religious divide is a big part of venice, but seeing as people can change their religious beliefs and, for the most part, subtly interact with people of different religious backgrounds, it is evident that society runs separate from religion.
Post a Comment