May 24, 2020 HL Essay Guiding Question: For what purpose does Shakespeare incorporate indirect characterization encompassing stereotypical preconceptions into The Merchant of Venice to depict foreigners? The Merchant of Venice: Influence of Negative Stereotypes on Depicting Individuals Throughout The Merchant of Venice, the ostensible antagonist of the play, Shylock, and Portia’s non-European suitors are depicted through negative preconceived notions, and the oppressive society surrounding them reflects the role stereotypes retain in people’s development of misconstrued conceptions. By interweaving metaphors, similes, symbolism, and indirect characterization, Shakespeare portrays his foreign characters through a negative lens that highlights the xenophobia present in society. The playwright’s work exemplifies the IB concept of ‘culture’, as the societal stratification evident in Elizabethan England and Venice is reflected in the Venetian characters’ treatment of foreigners. On March 29, 1516, the Venetian Senate, all Jews residing in Venice were forced to move to ghettos and be constantly monitored by Christian guards due to their different appearances and religious values (Katz 2011). In Shakespeare’s play, the incorporation of indirect characterization and symbolism captures the influence of societal stereotypes in the dehumanization of an individual, as well as the era’s discriminatory sentiment against foreigners. In Language A: literature assessed student work HL essay example A: student work 2 Shih 2 writing of the foreign princes’ selfishness and failures to win Portia’s hand and Jessica and Shylock’s characters as ones being stripped of their identity, Shakespeare elucidates society’s manifestation of stereotypical preconceptions and the role repression retains in ostracizing individuals. Through the depiction of the princes of Morocco and Arragon as egocentric and the symbolism of gold and silver caskets as superficial, Shakespeare illustrates the fear of foreign domination and highlights how stereotypical preconceived notions can influence one’s understanding of others. When hosting the casket game in order to find her suitor, Portia interprets her suitors as

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