Skip Navigation

The Review of English Studies 1999 50(200):440-462; doi:10.1093/res/50.200.440
© 1999 by Oxford University Press
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Katz, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Shylock's gender: Jewish male menstruation in early modern England

DS Katz

The Jews in early modern Europe were often perceived as distinct from other people not only in their religion, but by virtue of peculiar physical characteristics. Among these were repulsive smell, horns, a tail, and a dark skin colour. Male Jews were circumcised, which made them physically distinct in the sexual realm. It was also widely believed that male Jews menstruated, and the association of this trait with the blood libel intersected the highly charged fields of gender, racism, culture, and blood itself to make the Jews as indeterminate sexually as they were in the religious landscape of Christian Europe. Understanding Jewish male menstruation may also enable us to decipher Shylock's defence of the Jews, providing a completely new interpretation of one of the most famous quotations in English literature.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.