Narratives of Jews in Shakespearean England and National Anxiety

Abstract

The globalization and trade boom brought about by the Age of Discovery not only provided economic growth opportunities for various countries, but also brought about social and early mobility disruptions. After Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne, while England experienced domestic religious turmoil and foreign political crises, the government began to consider the readmitting of the Jews as a new breakthrough in overseas trade, given their advantages in lending and commerce. In an age of economic expansion, the contradiction between the trade temptation and the anxiety about nationality and identity, caused by early “modernity”, was fully reflected in this dispute, and the Jews became the real projection of the British people’s fear of “mobility” and change in early modern society. The playwrights of this period, through the depiction of exotic geography and transnational trade, participated in this political debate through public performances, and sparked a series of discussions on national maritime affairs, domestic economic balance, and national security anxieties. Thus, scriptwriting became their flexible space for releasing anxiety and expressing political demands.