IES PEDRO FLORIANI

Philosophy and Citizenship1st Bacharelato, 2012/13

TOLERATION INELIZABETHAN ENGLAND

W. Shakespeare and F. Bacon

In 16th century England, many peoplesuffered social exclusion and death for theirbeliefs.

Protestants were prosecuted by MaryTudor, Elizabeth’s half sister, and Catholicswere prosecuted by Edward VI, Elizabeth’shalf brother.

Elizabeth herself is said to have beentolerant but she also prosecuted and killedmany Catholics

─and Jews were prosecutedand killed by all.

But, conversely, toleration is an importanttopic in English philosophy, fromRenaissance to the Enlightment.

Sir Thomas More says in hisnovel Utopia (1516) that

different religions should betolerated.

And toleration of Jews is a central subjectin two books from Queen Elizabeth’s time:

The Merchant of Venice, byW. Shakespeare,

and New Atlantis, by SirFrancis Bacon.

The Merchant of Venice

Antonio meets Shylock, the Jew, in thestreets of Venice and spits on his gaberdine.He hates Jewish people because they chargeinterest when they lend money.

Bassanio needs money to marryPortia and asks Antonio for help.Antonio has nothing because he hasbought four ships which arepresently at sea. So he decides toborrow from Shylock, thinking thathe will beable to payhim whenthe shipscome back.

Shylock is still deeply offended, but he lendshim the money.

He will not charge any interest: He onlywants to cut a

pound of Antonio’sflesh if he does not

pay within threemonths.

Antonio has bad luck: his ships are wreckedand he looses all his money.

Portia, who isnow Bassanio’s

wife, is veryrich and comes

to help him.

But the time haselapsed and Shylockwants to have hisbond: he wants to cutoff Antonio’s heart.

They are before the Duke of Venice.

The Duke asks Shylock why doeshe not want the money.

He answers that hewould rather have his

revenge on Antonio.

In the very lastmoment, Antoniogets unexpectedhelp and tablesare turned:Shylock ishumiliated, hismoney confiscatedand he is forced tobecome aChristian.

New Atlantis

In his 1624 novel, NewAtlantis, the Englishphilosopher Sir FrancisBacon described a lost island,called Bensalem, wherepeople lived in perfecthappiness.

There were two reasons for this:

Laws were just

and

Science produced machines and methods tosolve people’s problems.

The last pages of the bookare a description of the

scientific advances.

In the paragraphsdedicated to the laws ofBensalem, Baconcriticizes Europeanhabits of the time. Forinstance, he suggeststhat Jewish people’sattitude might becaused by how webehave towards them.

It has been said that Shakespeare mighthave exaggerated to make the audience feelpity for the Jew.

Compare these two texts. The first one isfrom Bacon’s New Atlantis, and it shows aJew who is kind because Christians are kindto them:

By that time six or seven days were spent, I was falleninto straight acquaintance with a merchant of that city,whose name was Joabin. He was a Jew and circumcised:

for they have some few stirps of Jews yet remainingamong them, whom they leave to their own religion.

Which they may the better do, because they are of a fardiffering disposition from the Jews in other parts. For

whereas they hate the name of Christ; and have a secretinbred rancour against the people among whom theylive: these (contrariwise) give unto our Saviour many

high attributes, and love the nation of Bensalemextremely.

The second one is from Shakespeare’sMerchant, a very famous monologue where

Shylock explains what he wants Antonio’sflesh for: Jews are just like Christians and,

since Christians are cruel and revengeful, itis no wonder that Jews are the same.

Shakespeare might be trying to make Jewsmore human to his audience, and

criticizing us for our racism:

To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, it will feedmy revenge.He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million;laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned mynation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heatedmine enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew.Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs,dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with thesame food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to thesame diseases, healed by the same means, warmed andcooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is?If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do wenot laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if youwrong us, shall we not revenge?If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you inthat.If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility?Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should hissufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge.The villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall gohard but I will better the instruction.

Time to think

Now you have read some opinions andlearned some facts, try to answer a fewquestions:

Do you know any historical or literaryevents where Jews were involved? Searchsome information on these:

Jewish expulsion from Spain (1492)Thomas More’s Utopia (1516)J. Locke’s Letter concerning toleration (1689)Nazi Holocaust (1942)Establishment of the State of Israel (1948)Recognition of the State of Palestine (2012)

What do you think of The Merchant ofVenice?

Is Shakespeare against the Jews?Is he trying to make us sympathise with them?

What is your opinion about the MiddleEastern conflict? Do you think that allnations are equal before the UNO?

IES PEDRO FLORIANI - REDONDELA - 2012/13DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY - DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH