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A Taste of Shakespeare - The Merchant of Venice

A Taste of Shakespeare - The Merchant of Venice

Like the other programs in the series 'A Taste of Shakespeare', the purpose of this video is to help modern audiences, especially students, identify with the universal themes in Shakespeare's plot line.

In early productions of this play, Shylock, the Jew, was portrayed as either a buffoon or a bloodthirsty beast. In more recent productions he has been shown in a more sympathetic light, but still as a violent and dangerous man. In this production, we present a more balanced view. Shylock has been very badly treated by certain Christians and he yearns for revenge. He goes too far when he seeks the life of his main persecutor, but he is essentially an intelligent, dignified man who can no longer bear to be humiliated.

In this video, the actor who plays Shylock provides the narrative links between key scenes and the commentary on other characters. The action is shown from Shylock's point of view: the view of a man who is 'foreign' to the society in which he lives, and who is made to suffer because he is 'different.'