Holocaust and stereotypes

[FrodeauxB at aol.com]

In his new (somewhat) and much ballyhooed treatise on Shakespeare, Harold 
Bloom discusses the impact of the character of Shylock on the 
European/American psyche vis a vis Jews. He doesn't subscribe to the theory 
Bill was an anti-Semite, at least any more than anyone else of his times. 
Bloom also recognizes that the character was influenced by the people's 
opinion of Jews, like a synergy thing. Anyway, his theme that Shakespeare 
"created" our concept of human beings through his characters includes the 
creation not only of Jews but also of "the Jew" by Shylock. By the way, why 
did Bill have Shylock convert at the end? Seems out of character for Shylock, 
but maybe he didn't really convert, eh? If so, what does that tell us about 
the Jewish people? But, we digress from TRP, don't we now?