This movement examines the work in its historical context, looking not only at the time period it reflects but also at the time period it was produced in (if different). New Historicism thus assumes that every work is affected by the cultural and political movements of its time period. Moreover, New Historicism believes that there is no such thing as an objective history; therefore, history is the subjective interpretation of those who wrote it down, filtered through their own culture and beliefs. Due to this, New Historicists also seek to understand their own biases as they approach a work of literature. For example, criticism of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice often depicts the play as anti-Semitic. New Historicists do not believe that it is as simple as classifying the play based on its text; instead, they study its context to arrive at an answer--while understanding that the question itself is the product of how much our society and culture have changed.