STORY

Jaleho

dear islamicrepublican

our dear deluded jaleho has decided to prove once again exactly how deluded she is!  she apparently thinks that YOU are me is disguise!!!   isn't she clever!!!  but alas, she is wrong again.  this person is seriously disturbed as you will see...:-)  her anti-semitism is truly astonishing, even for iranian.com.  lest you fall prey to her slander, let me assure you that i have nothing but the greatest respect for iranians as a people.  it IS absolutely true that i have zero respect for some iranians in particular.  those with blackhearted intentions and obvious anti-semitic opinions are not worthy of attention.  (ps... i personally think she's just obssessed.  she spends waaaaay too much time thinking about me!!!!  even to the point of imagining that i'm here when i'm not!!!)

peace out.

Dear Anonymous "Fish", the stench is heavy

believe me, it is not my peculiar brilliance, but the heavy stench of anti-Iranian Islamophobia racism that is too poignant to ignore on an Iranian site.

Repeated suggestion for you: enjoy a Zionist site together with Zion and Fred. You'll have more fun, and it would match your IQ better too. Of course I hope Zion continues posting on this site. She does have enough intelligence and knowledge that is a positive contribution to any site. Her opinion although completely different from many posters on this site, are genuine, learned in her own way, and thus valuable to hear as the "other side." In other words, she just doesn't throw worthless BS for the sake of having thrown some worthless BS.

Dear Jaleho, you smell me from a mile away.

Are you referring to Holocaust when you talk about the Europeans burning Jews in 20th century? We Islamic Republicans including that greatest Islamic Republican of them all Mahmoud “we have no gays in Iran” Ahmadinejad insists that we do not deny Holocaust but merely encourage more scholarly research on the subject.

We feel the whole world has been standing still on this matter since the Second World War, and been waiting for the Islamic Republicans to lead this endeavor.

Dear Ari,

I think that the beautiful passage you are quoting is precisely the best proof of Shakepears's poignant anti-Semitism! Remember that one of the central stories at the heart of Christian anti-Semitism was Jesus being slapped by the Jew in his way to crucifixion, and the Jews being cursed collectively to eternity for that crime. That is,  jews being "responsible for Killing Jesus," and the famous "Let this blood be on us and our children."

Now, Antonio's flesh was supposed to be cut by the Jew, Shylock, who loved a revenge of Antonio for spitting on him more than the money itself! But, Antonio is saved by the judge's argument that Shylock is not entitled to Antonio's blood, only his flesh! The disguised woman in the form of the Judge reminds you of the fair holy Mary ( does this reminds you of Raskolnikov's Sofia?) whose judgment leads to the happy ending.

But, the happiest part of the ending to Skasepeare is the fact that Shylock, who in every aspect is like the Christian, a human like him, laughs and cries like him,  except for the immorality of being a Jew , is finally converted to Christianity. Same for Shylock's daughter who converted earlier by her own recognition of "the better faith" and was handsomely paid back for having become a Christian!

As to your 2 points. #1. The anti-Jewish forms are different in Muslim and Christian societis. The Christian vicious form of punishment for the "Jesus-killer" naturally does not exist in Islamic culture which respects Moses and Jesus, although it does blame the Jews in parts for not respecting Jesus. But, since they had nothing to do with Muhammad, that part of Judeophobia that exists in Christian societies is absent in the Islamic ones. But, the fact that usury has been one of the common trades of Jews through out history, and Islamic culture and Christian culture look at usurers with the same disgust, has the affect on the negative stories in both cultures. People do not argue that Jews have been kicked out of their land all over the Europe since early ages of Christianity, and thus were forced to go in businesses with more "liquid" financial assest. If they were to pack and go and leave their "land", they could at least pack their money. And, they were not given equal chance in power positions so they made that power from the gold. Thus, aside from the Judeophobia arising from Christianity, in every country's folklore you have the stories of the "dirty money lender." So, I am not sure if you reveresed the case in your point #1, you'd have gotten a fair reversal of the outcome!

Your second point :

"2)What modern connotations are there to the fact that the judge in The Merchant of Vencie was a woman in disguise?   "

Like I said, beside the holy Mary's case (an important one in this case, a connotation implied by the author), I think it has much reflection on other aspects of Shakespeare's genius play with sexuality. First, remember that he does this disguise game in other happy ending palys, like Twelfth Night for example. All the fun that comes out when the young guy is shown to be the girl! In this case, remember the homosexual tint of Antonio's love for the Judge's handsome young husband(sorry I forget all the name!)

Jeremy Irons played that complexity and intentionally vague implication so beautifully, I fell in love with him in that movie :-) Not only Antonio was willing to put his flesh as a bond for the sake of the young guy's happiness, but the guy was told to sacrifice all of his other love if he were to marry that girl. (In those chests that the girl's father had the suitors open) And, at the court hearing, the young husband is unwillingly giving away his marital ring (marital wows), whithout knowing that the judge is his wife in disguise! All of it beautifully played on the sexuality, love and loyalty to a love (either that of Antonio to another man--not made clear if it is a gay love, but implied to some vague degree), and the mutual love and loyalty of the young married couple.

Europeans burned Jews as late as 20th century!

I smell a whiff of ignorance in the "anonymous" IslamicRepublican's comments :-)

Given its first and second comments, you can safely assume that not only it doesn't have the literacy to read Shakespeare (probably its mother language), but is also completely ignorant of the European anti-Semitism from the start of "Jesus-killer,"  the "condemned Wandering Jew," and "the blood libel" charges. It also doesn't seem to be even religiouly literate enough to have read the Christian Bible. And, it has no understanding of either the plight of Jews escaping the European anti-Semitism to the Islamic countries, nor the European and American Judeophobia of the 20th century!

 This writer seems to me to be a brainwashed ignorant who just replaced its yesterday's Judeophobia to  today's Islamophobia!

whoopee, such a progress!!

jaleho

"He hath disgraced me...and laughed at my losses,
mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my
bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine
enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath
not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as
a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison
us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will
resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian,
what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian
wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by
Christian example? Why, revenge."

Part of the reason Shakespeare is still alive with us is that he gives his characters enough complexity to be adaptable to any era. At this point in history the play works better for us if we interpret Shylock's threat as a bluff, a bargaining tactic. And it worked. If the judge hadn't outwitted him, Shylock would have walked away with at least his principle and possibly up to thrice his loan.  Couple of aside thoughts: 1) If the situation had been reversed between Hassanio and Shylockpour, would Shylockpour's people have bailed him out? 2)What modern connotations are there to the fact that the judge in The Merchant of Vencie was a woman in disguise?  

........................... 

Sofia Semyonovna Marmeladova (I know, I had to look it up too.)

SamSamIII

Merchant Of Venice reflects the anti-Semitism of 16th Century

notSoIslamicRepublican Jan,

The play Merchant Of Venice is set in 16th Century Venice, where Jews are forced to live in a ghetto and generally treated badly by the rest of the townsfolk – prayer books are burned, while Jews who leave the ghetto are made to wear a red hat and are frequently taunted and spat on by the locals. Jews in the 16th Century were barred from other professions. In this context the Merchant Of Venice reflects the anti-Semitism that existed at the time.

When one takes this story out of its context and maliciously attributing it to people who do not have any history of anti-Semitism; then the anti-Semitism of story can only reflect that of one’s own.

Dear Mr Silitz

I think you been taken for a ride by an Ommatie hezbollahi such as the person of Ali Aasmand aka part director of Basij student publication & Islamic jehadist publication agency (and no it,s the actual name for this agency & part of Ansar Islamic print shop)

هيعت مديره سازمان نشر رزمندگان اسلام
هيعت مديره سازمان نشر بسيج دانشجويی

I once read some ommatie total garbage puked out by him & his ommatie twin Ghasem pourmoghadam  about old Iran & the jewish kings(Curus etc), almost copy cat of that arabo ommatie loser naser pourpira...

I have a bakhtiari dad & never heard of such tale . It can only be attributed to the sick mind of an Arabo ommatie cultural propagandist/distortionist such as Ali & Ghassem to manufacture half truth  into some folk tale.

With all due respect , you been punked . & next time if I were u , I would not put my credibility & literary reputation on the line for the work of some ommatie ghassem kakamainy author without checking the background of the hezbo character .

cheers dude & happy Norooz

//www.iranianidentity.blogspot.com/

//www.youtube.com/user/samsamsia

Dear Ari, you said

" Regarding both versions of Shylock, neither the folktale nor Shakespeare with all his skill have fashioned a plot to prove or disprove if the money lender would have followed through with the mutilation after hearing the first cry of anguish from the borrower. "

But, the moral degeneration in the form of not-so-human-greed, which is the main point, doesn't have to be proven with the actual cutting of the flesh. Although Marlowe's origianl Barabas goes far in all kinds of evil manners. I think the point that Shakespeare carries at the end is the fact that converting to Christianity is the slavation to human realm! In another form, think about Raskolnikov, the protagonist of Dostoyovsky's Crime and Punishment, who killed the money lender. Although the money lender is again dirty and all of that, the main punishment of Raskolnikov is his own Christian sense of guilt for doing the wrong thing, and the salvation seems in the hand of the Christian girl that loves him (I forgot her name).

Zion, you can't force people to throw away Skasepeare

Marlowe, Dostoyovsky, and many other giants of the literature, or ancient folklores because you are sensitive to the idea of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is something that has existed (you Zionists wouldn't even allow it to die , even if it were to!), it is a huge part of the European history, and the literature of those times reflects it.

There are some modern day distorters who try to find a way away from the anti-Semitism reflected in the characters like Shylock or Barabas. Because Shakespeare is too loved for the modern day pro-Zionist English speaker to admit that he has  created the most poignant characters well- matched with the anti-Semitic mood of the Braitain of his time.

With the same token, you can not throw away Moliere because whenever he wants to talk about a rude idiot he calls him a Turk!

But frankly, the American and European Jew is too much used to force others to review the history and literature and their beloved ancient culture... the way that it won't touch your sensitivities. It is a losing battle. Just get used to the fact that these are great authors, they are loved, but they lived in a historical space-time that ugly anti-Semitism was alive and well. It does not reduce an iota from their great literally value. In fact, a great literature is always a good mirror of its time.

tsion

Spoken like the true ignorant that you are.

Pro-Semitic Tatoo

islamicRepublican Jan,

If people who have read Merchant of Chaarmahal or Merchant of Venice, are unwilling to have PRO-SEMITIC tatooed backwards on their forehead, it doesn't actually mean that any of these folks are anti-semitic or "hate others more than they love themselves". Your intolerance of open discussion and freedom of expression comes from exactly the same bottomless pit that anti-semitism gets its strength; a narcissistic and seriously misguided urge to force others into compliance with your world view.

very fitting for this website

Matches well everything else going on in this website, both the story and the very "civilized" literary analysis from all sides in the comment section. . Next time I suggest you give us your Iranian version of the blood libel, the killing of "shia" boys for Passover and the desecration of [imam Husayin's] Hosts. There is just so much material for this kind of "literary" talent.

Zion

Jaleho

The stupid read Shakespeare too; but they just don’t get it.

With all your perceived wisdom none of you condemned the malice toward the Iranian Jews, in this story. You all have compromised your wisdom, integrity, fairness, humanity just for a chip shoot at the Iranian Jews. This is typical of people who hate others more than they love themselves.

I wish Happy Norooz to all Iranians who found this story offensive.

Dear Ari

Dear Ari,

I enjoyed reading your story; it is as intriguing as the other pieces you post her. Your command of the English language is indeed commendable

Wishing you the best,

Varjavand  

Khaleh Mosheh,

The moral of your bit of the story is "Dast balaye dast besyar ast", particularly in a society where the judges are as corrupt as street criminals. :)

Beautiful Soul of a Nation!

I loved the story, and Azadeh's title for it! Thanks.

I prefer to asign the qualifier "wisdom" instead of "corrupt" to the judge rather than the Jew. After all, he ruled against a "greed" so dirty that it has no consideration for human suffering.

He ruled for understaning of the abyss of "human misery" which takes you to the desperate measure of suicide. Teaches you the real meaning of "forgiveness."

It ruled against an "ungrateful" jackass who failed to "appreciate" the efforts of a man going towards his final sentence, yet he bothered to show "compassion" to another brother in pain.

And, it showed the unltimate in "wisdom by osmosis:"

You better "judge" what you might gain by a claim which is beyond reason and human limits. So, the saying "khar ma az korregi dom nadasht," encapsulates not only the "victimhood" of the person who lost a monetary value, but gained the "human judgment" that there are more important things in life than that "monetary loss," such as wisdom to know when to "compromise," the notion of  "self-sacrifice" arising from "empathy" towards another human. 

It IS a mantra that reflects the beautiful soul of a nation!

And the story continues, Dear Friend

My very reliable sources inform me that indeed this story has further continuation.

It transpires that Shylockpour indeed has many powerful friends in the court of the everso powerul Tzar of Russia, who have been afraid that his annual profits might have declined. They could not tolerate the corrupt system of this so call Bakhtiari justice and in any case did not wish to see a Khan of a backward province being able to interfere in their friend affairs. 

So the Tsar, having been pressured by a number of powerful courtiers having great many business ties with Shylockpour sends is several merciless Cossack regiments to teach the willy Bakhtiari's a lesson. These Cossak regimens had been previously dispatched  to teach the wily Quasqai's a few lesson a few seaosns previously and so were very experienced in the art.

To cut a long story short, the whole Bakhtiari and Charmahaal region is now a very large stable for horses with very little infra structure.

Lesson for the Wily Khan: Dont mess with people with powerful friends and let them have what they demand. 

An original bakhtiari tale

Thanks Dear Ari for this original interpretation- Could have come from the great Khan of the clan himself, divluging great pearls of wisdon to his offspring in preparation to becoming the next chieftain.

Brilliant!

I didn't know the story nor the quote, and I loved how you intertwined the Merchant of Venice into this.

So the moral of the story is twofold:

a.  intentions don't count, what you do, does. 

b.  it's important to be on friendly terms with people in power, you know, Don Corleone style ;)

I enjoy your writings. Thanks Mr. Siletz for educating bee-savads like me in our folk tales. 

well...

now we know!  :o)

Ari jan

Thanks so much for another beautifully told story. So what would the moral of this story be? when you're in big doodoo, make a deal with the big guy?  ;-)

forever your fan

IRANdokht

:-)

A very jocular retelling, Ari. Thanks. The title of this piece could be "The Shrewd and the Corrupt!" Or even better, "The Soul of A Nation!" :-)

Cheers,

Azadeh 

so, that's where this came from!

A great read! How articulate and interesting you have made this story, Mr. Siletz. Loved every single word of it. Thank you. Thank you.