The Merchant of Venice

          The Merchant of Venice at Shakespeare’s Globe was a performance that I will never forget. I was immediately awestruck by the opening. The costumes, dancing and music took me back to Shakespearean days and helped me imagine what theatre was like back then. Because the play was so interactive with the audience, it really allowed us to feel like we were actually part of the story.

Top of the Globe

A view of the heavens

            Jonathan Pryce played the role of Shylock, the show’s antagonist. “Jonathan Pryce, making his Globe debut, presents us with a Shylock of weight, gravity and considerable complexity (Billington, Michael. “The Merchant of Venice Review—Jonathan Pryce Is a Shylock of Weight and Complexity.” www.the guardian.com. May 1, 2015. Accessed May 29, 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/may/01/the-merchant-of-venice-review-jonathan-pryce-shylock-shakespeares-globe).” I agree with this statement. There were many times when I sympathized with Shylock, but there were other times when he acted as a true villain.

          Being religious, this play meant a lot to me. It showed how cruel Christians were to Jews and the levels of hatred between the two groups. One moment I felt sympathetic for Shylock was near the beginning when Shylock was reciting a parable from his pocket Bible, and Antonio threw it on the ground. Watching Pryce pick up the bible as though it was almost like an infant and show so much affection was heartbreaking to me. That scene helps pave the way to where we can truly see Shylock’s villain-like qualities acted out through his wanting for revenge against the Christians.

from www.lovetheatre.com

The courtroom scene was one of the most suspenseful scenes I have witnessed on a stage.      
          Reading the text, I didn’t really absorb the connections between the characters, but watching the actors and the choices they made really brought the situation to life. This scene was also an example of Shylock’s more villainous side. Although the bond Antonio made with Shylock was three thousand ducats or a pound of Antonio’s flesh, and Antonio repaid the bond with an amount of twice the amount of ducats, Shylock still wanted his revenge and Antonio’s flesh. When Shylock loses his right to the penalty, we see just how vicious life can be when we live for revenge. Shylock wasn’t allowed to just take the money and leave. Because he was so fervent for Antonio’s flesh and told the court he only wanted the penalty, his only ‘compensation’ was to both be executed and give half of his wealth to the state and the other half to his Christian converted daughter Jessica and her Christian husband Antonio; or live, be christened and give all his wealth to Jessica and Antonio after his death.

from blog.shakespearesglobe.com

          The ending scene was a heartbreaking masterpiece. It was different from the actual text, but I thought it was a stunning and original version. Jessica received a letter about her father’s christening and began to sing this melancholy Yiddish mourning song. As she sings this song, Shylock and the head of the Catholic Church emerge almost as though it were his execution march. The Priest poured Holy Water on Shylock’s head, and with each cupful, we could see a part of Shylock’s heart and heritage die.

          Overall, The Merchant of Venice was something that I will always remember, and being able to experience it where it all began (although it wasn’t the original Globe Theatre), helped me appreciate Shakespeare even more than I already did before.