Merchant of Venice

[ficwize]

I just saw the Merchant of Venice for the first time. (Yes, I am also shocked by the lack of education here.) I have a mix of reactions. All I knew of the play before was the "Has not a Jew..." speech which seems to be quite progressive for Shakespeare's time. Then I saw it in context and I... don't know anymore. Was it a mockery? Was it intended to be sympathetic? Or was Shylock supposed to be a simple villian, which he does not come across as.

Also, is it my slash glasses, or were Antonio and Bassanio supposed to read like a romantic couple?

Finally, I cried in the court scene. I also got heart palpitations and freaked out a bit when I though it might go badly...

I will be adding this to my Yuletide list this year.

Comments

[bitterfic.livejournal.com]

I read Merchant of Venice as a high school student and in college but I just watched the Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons film version last month, excellent movie and yes, there was definately a whole lot of Antonio/Bassanio going on. I was really disturbed by the Antisemitism present in the text. The contemporary filmmaker challenged it but I thought it was very much written into the play which disappoints me as I generally adore Shakespeare.

[ficwize.livejournal.com]

Yes! This is the version I just watched tonight. It was excellent.

I... can't really get my head around the amount of antisemitism in the text. It's historically accurate (I guess?) and even as Shylock is a bastard, he's still sort of pathetically sympathetic. And, oh my, Al Pacino knocked that performance out of the park.

I'm both equally amazed that Shakespeare was able to make a stereotypical "bad Other" less stereotypical and horrified at the whole racist aspect of the story. I read a review online tonight which described the final courtroom scene as a showdown between the Jewish religion (Justice) and the Christian religion (Mercy) and am even more disturbed than before.

But... Antonio/Bassanio... wow. Just... wow.

[pargoletta.livejournal.com]

I read a review online tonight which described the final courtroom scene as a showdown between the Jewish religion (Justice) and the Christian religion (Mercy)

Link, please? That sounds interesting. Especially because I've seen this distinction used before, except probably in a much more positive light. I remember that it was an explanation between the Jewish and Christian ideas of donating money to support the poor. Jews call it tzedakah, which comes from the same root as "justice," while Christians call it charity, which comes from the Latin caritas, which I think means something to do with mercy or caring or feelings or something like that.

[ficwize.livejournal.com]

I can't find the article I read last night. I'll keep looking, but here are a few that I also read that at least brushed on the distinction.

http://shakespeare-comedies.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_quality_of_mercy

wsu.edu/~delahoyd/shakespeare/merchant4.html

http://phoenixandturtle.net/excerptmill/stetner5.html

[pargoletta.livejournal.com]

Interesting -- a lot of these arguments depend on the MoV characters' complete misreading of the ideas of law and justice. The justice implied by tzedakah is not at all the same thing as legalism, which would be more khok. They confuse one with the other and get the idea that Jewish "justice" completely opposes Christian "mercy."