Shakespeare's Greatest Failure

A meditation on The Merchant of Venice

We all know Willy Shakes. One of, if not the, most influential writers in recorded human history. 37+ plays in circulation, with endless translations, interpretations, and re-imaginings in all artistic mediums. In practically every measurable way, Shakespeare is understood as the most successful playwright, as his plays continue to be told and retold generation after generation, laden with “universal” themes. But one of his less commonly reproduced plays, The Merchant of Venice, doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of his well-loved works.

The Merchant of Venice was written as a romantic comedy following Bassanio, an Italian gentleman in need of financial security, and Portia, a wealthy heiress. Bassanio plans to woo Portia but needs money to afford the trip and asks his very close friend Antonio. Antonio doesn’t have the cash because his investments are in ships that aren’t set to return for a month, but they know of a moneylender that may help. In comes Shylock, a Jewish moneylender who is incredibly reluctant to help Antonio and Bassanio as they a regularly antisemitic towards him, but eventually he agrees to loan them the money on the condition that if Antonio fails to repay him, Shylock is allowed to take one pound of Antonio’s flesh. They take the deal, Bassanio successfully woos Portia, but (who’s surprised) Antonio’s ships are lost at sea. The Christians try their best to ask for mercy from Shylock, but as they have never offered him mercy from their hatred of Jews, Shylock is set on claiming his pound of flesh as Antonio agreed to sacrifice. Portia, upon learning of the situation, allows Bassanio to go back to Venice with enough money to pay Shylock, but Shylock refuses the outside payment. While the court stalls, a young lawyer (who is actually Portia disguised as a man) shows up and finds a legal loophole to accuse Shylock of attempting to kill a Venetian citizen (as Jewish people were not considered citizens at this time), and therefore Antonio now has a right to Shylock’s money and property. Antonio chooses “mercy” by letting Shylock live and keep his assets as long as he promises his will to his daughter (who abandoned him earlier in the story to marry one of Antonio’s Christian friends, Lorenzo) AND convert to Christianity.

And the Christians live happily ever after.

I don’t think it’s hard to reason why this isn’t a particular popular play today. Shylock has been cemented in literary history due to it’s lasting impact on Jewish stereotyping due to his greediness, but contemporary readings of the play can make it challenging to really view the story as a happy ending. Sure, the primary romantic relationship is successful and Antonio survives, but Shylock chose to help two men who have called him names, spit on him, and have supported the government systems that prevent him from being recognized as a citizen AND from being able to work many jobs aside from money lending (AND called him greedy for it) and in return he lost his daughter, the right to his own will, and the right to practice his own faith.

I saw this production 5 years ago, and I truly believe the company I saw was attempting to play the script as a tragedy, but ultimately this play is structured like a comedy, and no matter how much directing and acting choices push against the cruelty of the Christian characters, the choices of the play still lead to Shylock being left without even his own spirituality, his daughter left in an unhappy marriage with someone who doesn’t see her fully, and the primary Christian couples rich and happy.

It’s a challenging play, and while I wouldn’t be pushing for any theatre company to produce it, I do think it is a play worthy of reading and discussion. I am fascinated by the Shakespeare scholars who have pointed out that while Shylock is a the villain of the story, he is also written to be one of the most empathetic villains of Shakespeare’s plays. His indignation against Antonio and Bassanio are explicitly stated, and even if you reason that Antonio and Bassanio are just trying to protect themselves, the play makes it hard to not question their actions against Shylock, and whether his ending is truly just.

Personally, I love this play, because I love plays that leave me with questions, and this play has been on my mind since I saw it 5 year ago, so much so that I purchased a copy of the script for myself to read. In today’s landscape, it’s a fascinating study into dramatic structure and how stories change with the times, but it’s also a study of interfaith relations, and how the powers of the law can be manipulated by anyone and against anyone.

Have you seen or read The Merchant of Venice? What did you think about it?

Where I found the script:

I purchased a Sparks Notes brand physical copy from a book store a few years ago (Probably Barnes & Noble, although I don’t frequent them anymore for ethical reasons). I also referenced the free, online version of the script from Folger’s Shakespeare Library (they have the entire folio available and many other great Shakespeare-related resources).

https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/the-merchant-of-venice/read/characterList/