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A pound of flesh, but not a drop of blood. Four hundred years on, Shakespeare's satirical nightmare on the theme of the kosher ritual retains its power to offend, to challenge, to subvert, and to trigger debates on antisemitism in canonical English literature. His Jew, Shylock, is not crouching in some estaminet of Antwerp but right up on stage, flinging defiance in his oppressors' teeth, devastating their hypocrisy and cruelty, angrily asserting the only identity available to him within the gentiles' culture and, in a final speech, lacerating Christian Europe's reliance on slavery. But he is also grasping, cantankerous and, in private, appears to equate his daughter with money; he winds up being brutally humiliated, and further abased by having his comeuppance made subordinate in narrative importance to the final, simperingly romantic "ring" scene between the lovely Portia and her impetuous suitor Bassanio.
Michael Radford's fresh, lucid and unpretentious screen revival of The Merchant of Venice is raised above the commonplace by a brilliant performance from Al Pacino as Shylock. The role offers opportunities for the wildest thesp grandstanding, and with Pacino so often given to croaky shouting and preening, you might be fearing the worst.
But his is a…
‘What is justice?’ Let’s ask ROBO-JUDGE 5000.
[ROBOT VOICE] "Justice!"
Yes, that’s right. Justice!
[ROBOT VOICE] "Justice!"
Ok. Here’s the first case. Accused of skipping the bus queue.
Well, ROBO-JUDGE 5000, What do you think?
[ROBOT VOICE] "Justice!"
I’m not a legal expert, but I think she’s entitled to appeal.
In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare asks us to think about justice,
punishment and mercy.
Shylock thinks that if he’s merciful, people will think
him foolish and weak.
But he’s confident that justice is on his side.
After all, Antonio agreed to the contract. There wasn’t any small print.
That looks like a shopping list, not a loan agreement.
And Antonio accepts that justice must be done,
even-- if he dies as a result.
But it’s the law itself that gets Shylock in the end.
Since Shylock shows no mercy,
Portia reveals herself to be merciless in the courtroom.
She asks him where his small print is!
Because blood isn’t mentioned, his contract is null and void.
You should always read the small print.
Even when it isn’t there. That’s why we have lawyers.
Shakespeare asks us ‘what is justice?’
Is it following the…