7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shakespeare Comes to Life!, July 26, 2002
This review is from: The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare Made Easy) (Paperback)
I really enjoyed having the side by side version...I found myself reading most often in the original text first, and glancing over at the modern text for clarification of meaning and humor. It made it very quick and enjoyable to read. High recommendation!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mercy Versus Justice, December 26, 2002
This review is from: The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare Made Easy) (Paperback)
William Shakespheare in the Merchant of Venice, explores again, like so many of his other plays, the difference between vice and virture, the noble and ignoble. This time out he compares the hero Antonio's acts of mercy with the villian Shylock's desire for justice, the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law. Shakespheare shows throughout the play that he is very confident that Christianity and its followers are superior to Judaism and its followers and quite frankly, his portrayal of the Jewish moneylender Shylock is anti-Semitic and leaves out none of the negative stereotypes. The play seems to be a Christian polemic with its theological interest in Christianity's mercy versus Judaism's justice, as Shakespheare sees it. It may have also been a warning to its audience about the moneylenders of Shakespheare's time.
The story is one in which Antonio offers to go into debt for a loan so that his friend Bassanio can have enough money to impress Portia, a woman he wishes to court and marry. Antonio goes into debt to Shylock, a moneylender who demands a pound of his flesh if he cannot pay back the loan. Shylock hates Antonio because Antonio has payed off many loans of his indebted clients and also has badmouthed him as an unethical loan shark, trying to damage Shylock's business.
It is the tension of hate between the two, which give the play an intensity, especially at the climax when Shylock is about to take a pound of his flesh. Also the fear of losing flesh to the moneylender makes for good drama. The character Shylock has some juicy vitriolic lines during the scene. And there is a certain glee Shakespheare builds into the play to see Shylock's "justice" turned against him.
There is also a subplot involving Portia and her various suitors who have to choose between 3 caskets of gold, silver, and lead. Choosing the correct casket will make them the husband of Portia. It was interesting to read about the different reasonings that each suitor has for their choices. Portia also disguises herself as a judge during Antonio's trial in which she helps to set him free of the charges and his friend Bassanio is persuaded to give up his engagement ring to the judge out of gratitude, which gets him in trouble with Portia later who does not tell him she was the judge as she asks him what happened to the ring.
This is a good, tightly constructed play with none of diffuseness of King Lear. It had more drama too.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Perfect Play, July 31, 1998
This review is from: The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare Made Easy) (Paperback)
"The Merchant of Venice" is surely one of Shakespeare's most underrated plays. After reading "Macbeth," "Hamlet," "Othello," and "King Lear," this was a well-appreciated break from the tragedies. All of the characters are likable, even the misunderstood villian (?) Shylock. Full of love and life and joy, it is all the more enriched by the happy ending.
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