Anti-Semitism in Literature and Art

Shylock:
Shylock, from Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", is an example of the economic roles Jews were thought to play in the time of the Renaissance. A moneylender, a famously "Jewish" profession still today, Shylock is depicted as an enemy of the people no matter what. He is a stingy Jew for being a moneylender, and even more so for demanding his side of the bargain when things fall through. Some readers have interpreted the play as contrasting the mercy of the Christians to the vengefulness of Jews, being that they were thought to have been born without the ability or grace to comprehend mercy.

Barabbas:
Barabbas is the main character and villain to Marlowe's "The Jew of Malta". A notoriously rotten man in fictional literature, Barabbas shows only hints of humanity when he protests the unfairness of the governor's edict. The Jewish population of Malta is made to pay for the debts of the island (something not so far fetched) and Barabbas is shown to speak up not because he is compassionate, but that he is greedy. His numerous asides reveal how cunning and dangerous he truly is. Barabbas surpasses any Jew in literature that I could find of the Renaissance both in his fury and greed, as well as his brutality, even towards his beloved daughter. Jews were seen in the time to be sub-human, and this is evident when reading "The Jew of Malta".