The
Merchant of Venice-- Fall 2009
 |
| Hath
not a Jew eyes...?? |
Venice, the City
of Love... and Hate.
Bassanio, young,
noble gadabout Venetian has everything he could want. Except the beautiful
Portia... and of course, the adequate amount of funds to finance his
suit to woo her!
Enter Antonio,
the titular Merchant and Bassanio's good friend. Cash-poor, but invested
in many potentially profitable ventures already at sea, Antonio agrees
to be Bassanio's guarantor if he can find someone to lend him the
money he needs ($3000 ducats!!). Who else would happen to have that
sum available? Shylock the wealthy Jewish moneylender would. And he
would willingly loan it for Antonio's bond just for the potential
chance to revenge himself for all the prejudice, discrimination and
bigotry he had received at the hands of Antonio and his Christian
brethren. His default price? A literal pound of Antonio's flesh!
Meanwhile in Belmont, Portia remains
at the mercy of her father's posthumous strategem designed to weed
through the lot of suitors that come daily. A curious riddle involving
three caskets posed to any and all comers seeking her hand in marriage.
Will Bassanio be the one to solve the riddle? What will happen to
the bombastic kings of Morocco and Arragon??
And there is unrest and dissatisfaction
in Shylock's household. His servant seeks an appointment in Bassanio's
house, while his very own daughter elopes with Lorenzo, Bassanio's
compatriot, taking a healthy share of Shylock's fortune and his prized
possession, a turquoise ring of his late wife's.
Things appear to turn out all
right for our Hero, Bassanio. He gets the girl and his friend gets
her maidservant. They are married. Yet it seems his trials are not
complete. There's a little matter of a few promise rings.
Misfortune strikes Antonio and
all his ships are lost at sea! Sly Shylock comes calling to exact
his price. In the climactic court scene, he presents his case to the
young visiting judge (who looks a little like Portia...) Proving that
Law really is about finding the loopholes, the young judge resolves
the case so that no blood is spilled.
But for he who shows no mercy,
no mercy shall be shown him ...
*****************
Link to play
@ Open Source Shakespeare: Merchant
of Venice
