Please read David Nirenberg's analysis of "The Merchant of Venice" in "Anti-Judaism" which is written by someone whose specialty is medieval Jewish history specifically in Spain. In Shakespeare's time it does not make sense to talk about capitalism as such but it makes sense to talk about economic institutions being born that capitalism and capitalistic government structures will make use of later. For instance the very notion of "population" that government is responsible for is a ~17th-century invention.
Please read David Nirenberg's analysis of "The Merchant of Venice" in "Anti-Judaism" which is written by someone whose specialty is medieval Jewish history specifically in Spain. In Shakespeare's time it does not make sense to talk about capitalism as such but it makes sense to talk about economic institutions being born that capitalism and capitalistic government structures will make use of later. For instance the very notion of "population" that government is responsible for is a ~17th-century invention.
Thanks - yes, I presume in a popular book the word "capitalism" is to be read generously, not in the way it might be in contemporary academic history.