This year in English we were assigned to read William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. For those of you who don't know, the play is about a Jewish merchant, Shylock, who seeks revenge on a Christian. Throughout the whole play the Jew is dimuinised as the villian, the most hateable character - in Shakespeare's time Jews were considered no better than dogs. But the interesting thing is that, even though he's the villain, one of the most famous quotes in the play seems to sympathise (sp?) with the Jewish community. It's a very good quote - it's a very good play! Who would've thunk Shakespeare could be so interesting?

I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.