A Racist Play, A New Interpretation

Oriental Art Center, Third night, seats all sold out

friend was excited and insisted that we go, cos the cast strong!

Shakespeare’s Globe

uninterested: it’s a story we learned at school, greedy and merciless merchant. merchant A

shockingly different from what I thought i knew

the production excellent: costume authentic/fabulous, brown/dark/ metallic gold, not to my liking, but true to history;

when Bassanio met the jailed Antonio, they were appraoching each other, music was heavy with beats, abruptly paused and stage darkened! intermission!!! so dramatic!

Enunciation!!reading lines! emotion!


first 10 min, masquerade: first started from Venice

beginning: Shylock was spat on, mocked, humiliated publicly

Jew, Antonio arrogant, insulted Shylock even when requesting a loan
an outcast, most resented, for what reason? Mercenary? he charges interest? he’s rich? he’s a pagan! he’s a Jew instead of a Christian!

he insisted that he get his forfeiture, a pound of flesh, not twice the loan, others even the duke, the lawyer appealed to him to have the money. He is the only one who respected the contract, the bond.
Antonio wanted to be executed, a martyr, so will be worshiped

the layer played with the word, a pound of flesh, no blood! a mockery of the justice system! and the trade of lawyers: sophistry, eloquence

in the end, his fortune being taken away, he was forcefully converted into Christian while other men ans women were merrily playing melodrama with trivial nonsense
incongruous, jarring, dichotomy: merry Christians, miserable Jews

caused discomfort in me

i was shocked and disgusted: outright racism
2.completely different from our teaching at middle school

while leaving the theater, pure prosecution!

who is the merchant of Venice?

type character: a evil Jew as the villain
Shakespeare instilled loads of sympathy into Jewish characters
anti-Semitic anti-semitism

Bassanio: what is his job? gentry pursuing fortune by marriage

Shylock: work!

Music tribute to Jolene (The Voice Performance) -Brendan Fletcher. Download it on iTunes.com or nbc.com/voice