The Merchant of Venice

A Product of Society?



It is hard to determine whether or not Shakespearean comedy is clearly a product
of Elizabethan courtly society. It can be said that the answer to that question is both yes
and no. It is apparent in The Merchant of Venice that Shakespeare’s writing was strongly influenced by the society surrounding him, while A Midsummer Night's Dream is much less realistic and so original that one might think Shakespeare came from another time period all together.
In The Merchant of Venice there are countless examples of how Shakespeare’s works were a product of society. One of the main similarities is religion. The official established state religion in Shakespeare’s time was the Church of England, lucidly Protestant. Everyone was required to attend an Anglican Service once a month. The Anglican service is also called Prayer Service, Prayer Book Service, Common Prayer, or the Lord’s Supper. Although it was not expressly illegal to be of ...