William Shakespeare, an English playwright of the 16th century, is famous throughout the literary world as one of the greatest of all dramatists. Shakespeare's plays communicate a profound knowledge of the source of human behavior, revealed through portrayals of a wide variety of characters. His use of poetry within his plays to express the deepest levels of human motivation in individual, social, and universal situations is considered one of the greatest accomplishments in literary history. Shakespeare is recognized for creating characters and plays that are considered to be timeless. He is able to show that love, friendship, jealousy, and hatred are aspects of human nature that will remain unchanged throughout the ages. Despite Shakespeare's ability to remain timeless, his anti-Semitic and racial views displayed in his comedy, The Merchant of Venice, are distressing to modern critics and audiences. In The Merchant of Venice, the villainous Shylock, a Jewish usurer, is a victim of anti-Semitism. There are also numerous negative and hateful racial references towards people with dark complexions and those Middle Eastern origin. For those reasons, The Merchant of Venice is argued to be an unconventional comedy. Unlike other comedies, the play has an unresolved ending, leaving certain characters unsatisfied or unjustified. It is also a conflict of interests to feel compassion towards Antonio, a protagonist who is malicious and hateful. The Merchant of Venice is thus considered to be a problematic play because the anti-Semitic and racial views expressed by Shakespeare make the line between protagonist and villain obscured.
             During the 16th century, Jews had already been expelled from England for more than 300 years. Because of this, Shakespeare couldn't possibly have knowingly interacted with a Jewish person enough to realistically portray one in his plays. Shakespeare most likely obtained his information about Jewi...