Stereotypes of Jews in literature anti-Semitism. However, also like Shylock, he occasionally shows evidence of humanity (albeit very rarely). It has been suggested that "The Jew of Malta" influenced Shakespeare's play, "The Merchant of Venice". Despite the fact that Shakespeare probably never met a Jew, "The Merchant of Venice" includes a character named Shylock who has become the archetype of the Jewish moneylender stereotype. Derek Cohen asserts that the Shylock character is "the best known Jew in English." Shylock is a money-lender and was often portrayed with a hooked nose and bright red wigs. Shylock's character has been criticized for its anti-Semitic nature, although some
Jessica (The Merchant of Venice) ultimately stems from medieval archetypal plots and characters. The Christian in love with a Jewess appears frequently in "exemplum" from the 13th to the 15th century. Beatrice D. Brown, in her 1929 article, "Mediaeval Prototypes of Lorenzo and Jessica", finds the most direct match in "… MS. Royal 7 D. 1, a collection of theological pieces probably compiled by a Dominican friar at or near Cambridge in the thirteenth century." It contains a spendthrift Christian lover, the fair Jewess, the rich old father, the lovers robbing the father, and the father's conflicted grief over his daughter's betrayal and the loss