Shylock Gets Even in Revised âMerchant of Veniceâ Shakespeareâs âMerchant of Venice,â in which Jews are forced to wear yellow stars, has all kinds of racist messages, which must be addressed. Aaron Pyle as Shylock â Photo courtesy of Opheliaâs Jump A cartoon in a New Yorker magazine issue of the late 1930s showed Adolf Hitler pinning a Nazi medal on William Shakespeare for his perceived anti-Semitic slant in his play âThe Merchant of Venice.â In recent years, various directors and actors have tried to portray a more sympathetic and humane persona in Shylock, the Jewish money lender. Still, it is the rare Jewish theater goer who can avoid a certain discomfort or resentment at the portrayal of a Jew who mourns the loss of his daughter in the same tone as a financial setback and demands a pound of flesh from the body of a defaulting borrower.