Personally, I disagree, and I don't think that's likely.
First, Jews were expelled from England three hundred years previously, and not let in again until Cromwell's time (with only a few exceptions: a few highly-placed special individuals were let in on a very limited basis)
Second, there are NO historical instances of real people with the names "Tubal" or "Shylock", pretty much ANYWEHRE, except that passage in Genesis, and in Merchant of Venice.
Also, the name "Jessica" never shows up anywhere before that -- that's another name Shakespeare made up.
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Date: 2008-11-19 06:28 am (UTC)First, Jews were expelled from England three hundred years previously, and not let in again until Cromwell's time (with only a few exceptions: a few highly-placed special individuals were let in on a very limited basis)
Second, there are NO historical instances of real people with the names "Tubal" or "Shylock", pretty much ANYWEHRE, except that passage in Genesis, and in Merchant of Venice.
Also, the name "Jessica" never shows up anywhere before that -- that's another name Shakespeare made up.