The Historical & Cultural Setting of Venice

a.) What was Venice like during the 15th and 16th century? Comment especially on its demographics and culture.
Venice was already part of England, and thus, its demographics and culture were pretty similar to majority of England. Firstly, the settlements were not modern due to the century we are currently discussing. They usually lived in villages and their villages were located in the proximity of the rivers, since they needed the water to survive. Their culture was pretty similar to England as well; there was a huge gap between the rich and the poor. The rich were mostly the royals, while the poor were mostly the peasants, whom worked as farmers. There was hardly a particular culture, except the fact that the people of Venice would usually rely on the royals (kingdom) from the queens and kings for instructions to relay and carry out.

b.) Why was Venice important during the 15th and 16th century?
Venice was important since it was seen as a key trading hub, Venice was also the easiest town for merchants to come since it was located near the sea, thus, merchants from Venice itself could set out sail themselves in search for new businesses and locations, while other merchants from other countries were allowed to come here to trade their valuable stuff, thus making it a crucial port, which contributed to the country’s economy.

c.) What was the dominant religion in Venice? How were Jews treated and regarded?
The dominant religion in Venice was most probably Christians. Jews were treated in a different way, being marginalized from the society, where most people would be together. According to past research done and knowledge of Merchant of Venice, Jews were the main subject of hatred of the Christians. From the book, we could raise an example of how Jews were treated differently, that they needed to pay interest when getting a loan, however, Christians did not need to do so, having loans with free-interest.

d.) How is Venice a choice setting for this plot and play?
Based on the research above, one of the key important points why Venice was chosen for this plot and play had to be because of its importance during that time. Then, Venice was an important place where trading took place and ships set off in search of businesses and since Antonio, the key character, was a merchant, it fitted it in. Besides, the story revolves around Antonio, where his businesses at sea play a crucial role in the plot. Another reason could be that many of Shakespeare’s plays were seen in Venice; however, we have no evidence to back it.