Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated)

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

so-so

This is probably the most famous book about a Jew and recently it became rather controversial, so I had to pick it for my #Hanukkahchallenge.
Honestly, I don‘t even understand why it is considered a comedy: all the characters are unsympathetic and immoral, Shylock included. And this is a very antisemitic text: though Shylock is not a good person and not a good Jew, he‘s treated abominably, humiliated and robbed of possessions and faith #imthatjew

7 likes

Eggs

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

#Villain #PoetryMatters

@TheSpineView

TheSpineView Perfect! 2mo

dabbe 🧡🍁🤎 2mo

Eggs @TheSpineView 🥳😍 2mo

See All 6 Comments

Eggs @dabbe 😍😊 2mo

lil1inblue 💛 💖 💛 2mo

Eggs @lil1inblue ❤️🥰❤️ 2mo

54 likes6 comments

Ast_Arslan

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

#illuminate #poetrymatters @TheSpineView

Tagged by @Eggs 💙

I hope to had folllow correctly the prompt 😅

TheSpineView Excellant job! Great choice! 🤩 3y

Ast_Arslan @TheSpineView thank you!! 3y

Eggs Perfection 📚 🕯❤️ 3y

23 likes3 comments

Lcsmcat

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

I just watched the 2015 RSC production, and Antonio and Bassanio are portrayed as lovers. It makes Portia‘s business with the ring make more sense, but is there evidence for it in the text? What think you #shakespearereadalong friends? Defensible through the text, or artistic license run amuck?

TheBookHippie Personally I think it's defensible. But I see how it could be argued either way. 3y

merelybookish Not sure but I love the idea. I am here for challenging/undermining strange/frustrating plots through the performance. 3y

Soubhiville Accurate or not, I love and fully support it! 3y

See All 7 Comments

Lcsmcat @TheBookHippie @merelybookish @Soubhiville When we read this one I was left wondering why Portia tricked her new husband into giving up the ring. It didn‘t make sense to me. This reading provides motivation for that action, as she sees him embracing Antonio and hears his protestations. So I buy it. But it‘s a reading I‘ve not seen before. 3y

TheBookHippie @merelybookish me too!! 3y

TheBookHippie @Soubhiville me too!!!! 🏳️‍🌈 3y

LitStephanie I saw a production where that relationship was suggested, too. I have not read the text in a long time, but my conclusion then was there is no textual evidence for it 3y

35 likes7 comments

alisiakae

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

A little bit in love with the magnifying glass I found at an antique shop today! Great for some of my old books with really tiny print. 🤣

LeslieO That‘s a beauty! 4y

Nute Nice! 4y

Gissy 😍 4y

78 likes3 comments

Seeking_Serenity

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

I LOVE this part. ♥️

Since I'm re-reading Macbeth for university, I thought why not post some #shakespearequotes, and since I love The Merchant of Venice why not start with it?

#Quotsyfeb21 @TK-421

42 likes

Seeking_Serenity

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

Since I'm re-reading Macbeth for university, I thought why not post some #shakespearequotes, and since I love The Merchant of Venice why not start with it?

#Quotsyfeb21 @TK-421

TheSpineView ❤❤❤ 4y

42 likes1 comment

Seeking_Serenity

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

Since I'm re-reading Macbeth for university, I thought why not post some #shakespearequotes, and since I love The Merchant of Venice why not start with it?

#Quotsyfeb21 @TK-421

TK-421 Great quote! 👏👏👏 4y

Seeking_Serenity @TK-421 Thank you! 4y

43 likes2 comments

anushareflects

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

pick

One of Shakespeare‘s better plays in terms of creativity of the storyline, but viewed from a 21st century lens this is undeniably, unacceptably anti-Semitic. Reading it now you understand why Shylock was being so very “unreasonable”, he was sick of the discrimination against his kind (as succinctly described in the highlighted portion of the photo). Portia and Nerissa are badass. Overall though it is a good play, witty and creatively written.

7 likes

Graywacke

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

pick

(Image: expulsion of Jews from Frankfurt 1614.)

The #shakespearereadalong leads me to ❤️ Shakespeare...and then there is this, a nuanced antisemitism. Still I come away with lot. Shylock‘s no nonsense directness holds a natural dignity no matter his dark purpose. And Portia compromised no matter how clever she is or who she saved. Well, a lot depends on actor interpretation. In the end it was better than I anticipated and I‘m glad I read it.

GingerAntics

LitStephanie I totally agree that actor/director interpretation is important in this one. In one version, BBC I think, Shylock's daughter lingers at the end and clearly feels remorse, which is interesting. 4y

40 likes1 comment

Cuilin

Merchant of Venice (2010 edition): Oxford School Shakespeare | William Shakespeare

⚠️ Political Post!

Saw this while finishing up TMoV

Me thinking of this evening‘s debate.

#shakespearesaiditbetter

Graywacke Even Shylock at his worst is better than ... $&@orange ...&$@%... 😊 4y

Cuilin @Graywacke Agreed! (edited) 4y

katy4peas 🤦‍♀️ it tells the story of the present so well! 4y

42 likes3 comments

batsy

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

pick

This remains one of Will's most complex plays. A comedy that in our time can only be seen as a kind of tragedy. Questions remain about whether the text is antisemitic or a depiction of antisemitism, & what it has to say about Christians, women, men who are strangely melancholy, the nobility, merchants & the burgeoning values of early modern capital & debt. For me, not a play to be enjoyed so much as revisited & mulled over. #shakespearereadalong

batsy I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads, so a qualified pick. @GingerAntics 4y

paulfrankspencer I think it's my favorite. Hard, but so good. 4y

BiblioLitten It‘s a bit hard for me to see what qualifies as a pick especially when it borders as a So-so. Shakespeare plays would be an example 4y

batsy @paulfrankspencer Yes, tough. And might yield more or change with every re-read, I think. 4y

batsy @BiblioLitten True! Sometimes the review categorisation here is limiting. Like it can be an objectively good play even if I might dislike some of its themes and it's neither a pick nor so-so, just...complex. 4y

97 likes5 stack adds5 comments

erzascarletbookgasm

The Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare, John Russell Brown

so-so

I found this play difficult to like. The characters are unlikeable, even Portia, though clever, I struggle to like. The anti-Semitism bit was a big problem but I guess Shakespeare wrote it as a satire or bounded by the prejudices of his time. Still, left a bitter taste in my mouth. The play has produced some famous phrases. The reasons it‘s not a ‘pan‘ for me...good trial scene, and outstanding speeches by Shylock and Portia.
#shakespearereadalong

AbigailJaneBlog Have you seen it performed? Shakespeare is awful to read, you might find it changes your perspective :) (Aside the anti-semitism, that really is awful, I understand the sting there) 4y

erzascarletbookgasm @AbigailJaneBlog I‘ve seen others but not this, don‘t think I‘ll be looking it up. Did you like it? 4y

AbigailJaneBlog I haven't seen it, but I've been in it! I think a lot of the comedic timing comes through better as a production, but I get it if you don't fancy it, I'm a bit of a shakespeare fan and I don't love a lot of them 4y

73 likes1 stack add3 comments

mollyrotondo

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

pan

⭐️ This is my least favorite Shakespeare play. The antisemitism is just appalling and there is nothing else that saves it for me. Huge 👎for this one. #shakespearereadalong

48 likes1 stack add

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

What did you think of Act V?
Now that we‘ve finished, what did you think of the play?
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong
@merelybookish @graywacke

GingerAntics @readinginthedark @batsy @Lcsmcat @TheBookHippie @Sunraven @Trashcanman @IamIamIam @ladyneverwhere @erzascarletbookgasm @MoonWitch94 @catebutler @CoffeeNBooks @jewright @saresmoore @rabbitprincess @Balibee146 @IndoorDame @kathedron @Mtroiano @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @MrsMalaprop @Gezemice @readordierachel 4y

GingerAntics @Melismatic @Sace @teainthelibrary @Susannah @kristenm @slategreyskies @Panic70 @Carolyn11215 @Alliterati @Kristy_K @Liz_M @Daisey @mhillis @Wife @wanderinglynn @Jess_Read_This @Linsy @MellieAntoinette @Yoshi-and-a-book @mollyrotondo @greenreads @LitStephanie 4y

TheBookHippie I am so conflicted ... is this a tragedy? The anti Semitic prose just woe. I‘m not sure what I just read. Or I‘m so over stressed I couldn‘t grasp it! 4y

See All 35 Comments

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @TheBookHippie It‘s all of that and a bag of chips! Or in this case a casket of lead.🤷‍♀️ 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I hated the anti Semitic parts, conversion as a judgement...uck. I liked Portia as lawyer. I wish there had been more about the overconfidence of betting the whole house in a short term, losing, and then getting away with it! I‘d really love to see this one modernized, but the moral at the “trial” being treat people nicer, you might need their help later, burying the hatchet figuratively instead of literally can led to better business and.... (edited) 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie no one died, especially the MCs, so not a tragedy. That‘s what makes it a traditional comedy - it‘s not ha ha comedy, it‘s just no one died comedy. Sorry. This is a tough one. 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I could see that working really well. I don‘t know if there have been any modern retellings. 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...(Cont.) a partnership. I think they should have been sentenced to work together until the debt was repaid, and the moral be when they weren‘t prejudiced and instead working toward a common aim (making money) they had more in common than they thought. 🤷‍♀️ (edited) 4y

TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa HA RIGHT?! 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics @TheBookHippie AND ladies dressed up as smart learned men and fooled them all, and pulled it off... so obviously a comedy. (edited) 4y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics I‘m always glad I read it but this one was just off for me. 4y

TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 🤣🤣🤣🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼YAS that is comedy 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Shakespeare does have a thing with cross dressing. 🤣😂🤣 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie yeah, this one has a really weird feeling to it. It‘s hard to describe, but this is in no way feel good theatre. I can‘t imagine this heavy, odd feeling coming out of a production of this. 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics And in his day it was men playing all the parts...so men pretending to be women pretending to be men. 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa which makes it even funnier, really. 4y

mollyrotondo This was definitely not my favorite play. The anti Semitic storyline was way too disturbing. And all the characters that contributed to Shylock‘s punishment ended up having a happy ending which irritates me. It was worth reading in order to understand anti Semitic thinking in the time of Shakespeare but that‘s about it for me. 4y

Graywacke Hi. Not much to add here. The irony of the classic tragic love stories made romantic was entertaining, and the dialogue was entertaining enough. But the celebratory nature felt tasteless. 4y

MoonWitch94 @Graywacke I totally agree with you. 4y

MoonWitch94 Overall, I do not like this one. It‘s not one I‘ll revisit or seek out performances of. On to the next one, I say! 4y

GingerAntics @MoonWitch94 totally agree! 4y

Graywacke @MoonWitch94 @GingerAntics I like it a lot for the conversation between Shylock and Antonio in act 1 alone. And there are other aspects i‘m glad to have read. The antisemitic aspect is really mainly a problem for me, personally, in how celebratory it is - festively stealing the daughter and then this act. Shylock, the character, was interesting to me. 4y

erzascarletbookgasm I agree with you that this act is unnecessary. It‘s just them celebrating..with crude jokes made. 😒 4y

erzascarletbookgasm It‘s considered comedy but I don‘t see anything funny in it. But I get what you mean about it being a comedy because of the ladies dressed up as men to fool them. 4y

batsy I've been trying to mull over how to review this play. There were parts that I liked, little conversations, and to observe how Portia tried to play the game, so to speak. I find Shylock an interesting person, as well; I don't know if Shakespeare meant it that way but he's become larger than the play itself. I found the ending and the celebratory nature of the forced conversion (and thus, the total erasure of Shylock) hugely problematic. 4y

erzascarletbookgasm The characters are unlikeable, safe perhaps for Shylock, an interesting one. Even Portia, I struggle to like her. The anti Semitism really made me dislike the play, though I think Shakespeare meant it to be a social commentary. Some good dialogues and great speeches from Shylock and Portia of course. 4y

GingerAntics @erzascarletbookgasm Shakespearean comedies aren‘t comedies in the modern scenes, they are comedies in the ancient Greek sense. It just means the MCs don‘t die at the end. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I keep thinking that I like some of the conversations, and I‘m intrigued by Shylock. I just don‘t like the play. It seemed to go above and beyond beyond what was necessary, but then that seems to be life in general when it comes to religious politics. 4y

MoonWitch94 @Graywacke Shylock is the only character that held my interest. The anti-semitism really ruined this play for me. @GingerAntics It does go above & beyond & over the top to ruin itself. 4y

GingerAntics @MoonWitch94 that‘s probably the most concise way to put it. It really goes out of its way to ruin itself. 4y

merelybookish Oh my, I blinked and this play passed me by! So a Henry is next, starting on the 11th. Will post soon. 4y

GingerAntics @merelybookish I was trying to remember what was next. Luckily no one asked yet. 🤣😂🤣 4y

mollyrotondo @merelybookish I‘m excited for a Henry especially after this play lol 4y

merelybookish @mollyrotondo Great! It's Henry V. It should be a change from this one, just not sure what kind of change. 😛 4y

GingerAntics @merelybookish certainly less antisemitic, one would hope. 4y

20 likes35 comments

Daisey

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

so-so

I finished Acts IV & V this morning with breakfast in the backyard. After listening and going back to read discussion, I‘m still not sure what I think of this play. I enjoyed parts of it, but I can‘t say that I enjoyed it as a whole. It felt somewhat disjointed, and I wonder if maybe this would have been better if I‘d read through it over the course of just a few days instead of spreading it out over weeks.

#ShakespeareReadalong #BookAndBreakfast

Daisey #ArkAngelShakespeare 4y

58 likes1 comment

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

so-so

This would be better as a tragedy. Not my favourite Shakespeare play by any stretch of the imagination. I don‘t understand the need for Act V. The play was over at the end of Act IV. The antisemitism seems to drive the play, but forced conversations are just a step too far for me. I wouldn‘t have minded if a few of the characters had died in Act V. At least then Act V would have been justified.
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong

TheBookHippie 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 4y

22 likes1 stack add1 comment

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

Troilus and Cressida make a cameo in the final act. SPOILER ALTER: that is the only exciting part of Act V.
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong

Texreader 🤣 4y

TheBookHippie 🏆 4y

17 likes2 comments

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

The damage has been done now. Shylock gets nothing AND is forced to convert to Christianity (a step too far in my book). Portia has gotten her husband of just a few hours/days to give up his ring (that was quick). What do you guys think?
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong
@merelybookish @graywacke

MoonWitch94 @GingerAntics I agree that the forced conversion was TOO much. Overall, this is not one of my favorite plays by The Bard. I didn‘t enjoy it the first time in college & not particularly now. 4y

See All 76 Comments

GingerAntics I‘m going to be honest of my bias up front. I think Shylock was absolutely conned. He rightful deserves some form of repayment. Instead, he not only gets nothing, he loses. Meanwhile, Antonio, Bassanio, and the Duke all gain, making out like bandits. This is an absolute miscarriage of justice and I think Portia gets what she‘s got coming to her when Bassanio gives up his ring. She made her bed. 4y

GingerAntics @MoonWitch94 I agree. The injustice inherent throughout but so obvious in this act just make it enraging to read. 4y

Lcsmcat The whole ring thing at the end felt tacked-on to me. It didn‘t fit with the rest of the play. 4y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat why? I‘ve been waiting for him to give the ring away since he promised never to take it off, give it away, or lose it. It‘s almost a Shakespearean trope. “Don‘t give this things away.” Next act: “I couldn‘t NOT give it away.” 4y

Lcsmcat @GingerAntics Because there was never the “I don‘t trust you, but I love you anyway” trope in this play until Act V. It felt like he stuck it in because it was expected or he couldn‘t figure out any other way for them to realize what their wives had done. 4y

mollyrotondo So when I started reading this comedy (only my second Shakespeare comedy) I tapped into the humor so much more easily than when I read Loves Labours Lost. My brain immediately clicked to comedy and not tragedy. Now while reading Act IV‘s trial, I cannot understand how this is a comedy. This trial was so incredibly tragic. Making Shylock give up his religion that they think is inferior to Christianity and ultimately not being able to work ⬇️ 4y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat we haven‘t read act V yet. We‘re still on act IV. Be careful with the spoilers. 4y

mollyrotondo is disgusting and demeaning. I cannot believe that that is how Shylock‘s story ends. And now we are going to go into a hilarious jaunt about rings? Uhhh this has turned into my least favorite play. 4y

Gezemice @MoonWitch94 @GingerAntics @mollyrotondo I felt that Shylock was conned, also. At the same time he was conning and was ready to kill Antonio... so for that he should have lost his suit but not all his money and his religion, too! As far as the story, my edition has the original source. It was not invented by Shakespeare but is the first story of the fourth day of Ser Giovanni: Il Pecorone, published 1558. ⬇️ 4y

GingerAntics @mollyrotondo you have to remember, a Shakespearean comedy, like a Greek comedy, isn‘t funny per say. It may have humours moments, but the tragedies abs histories can have humorous moments as well. A Shakespearean comedy is a comedy in the traditional sense, meaning the main character(s) doesn‘t(don‘t) die at the end. A tragedy is when the main character(s) die(s) at the end. 4y

Gezemice ... The story is very similar, except the manner of choosing the prodigal son‘s wife. But the Jew, pound of flesh, trial, woman as lawyer, the blood argument, even the ring, are in the story. Shakespeare took the story and filled out the character. Shylock is much more human and has a reason for his cruelty. Albeit the conversion and forfeiture of goods are his additions. In the original the Jew just forfeits the contract. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice yeah, most of Shakespeare‘s plays actually have previous sources. His critics, in his day and today, say he never had an original thought. His genius is obviously in taking well known stories and making more of them or making them better. 4y

Gezemice I‘d like to say that I enjoyed the female agency in this act. The women cone to sort out what the men have messed up, and they do it with smarts. 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I liked that Portia immediately rushed off to help her new husband‘s best friend out of trouble, and magically knows all about the trouble and the law to fix the situation. I thought conning him out of his ring, just to make him feel bad was a bit too far and served no purpose. (edited) 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice as far as Shylock goes, I can‘t blame him for wanting to get rid of Antonio. Their history together has been alluded to enough, we know Shylock has been abused by him for quite a while. I don‘t condone murder by any stretch, but if we‘re going to take this in a legal, pragmatic way, Antonio agreed to those terms. He leveraged his own life for that money because he was cocky and he was sure the law would protect him...and it did. 4y

Gezemice @GingerAntics Indeed, I had no idea, but all the plays I had the extended editions for, were pretty closely based on another play or source. In Antony and Cleopatra he follows Plutarch almost word for word in places. His additions were character development, humor, dramatic editing, and of course, great language. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice those are his additions and those really flesh out the stories. He knew what stories people loved and he made them stronger, deeper, better. Holinshed is also a favourite source for Shakespeare. He got Macbeth and Hamlet (along with others) from there. Hamlet was a popular story, but he really added the philosophical side and the exploration of suicide, which is drawn from his own life. 4y

Gezemice @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I think it says that she consulted the lawyer. She must have since she has a letter from him. As far as the ring, that is probably an element to bring the play back to its romantic comedy part - also, it was in the source story. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice He takes these stories and really makes them his own. I don‘t think any of these stories would be in the modern lexicon if not for Shakespeare. What he added gave these stories staying power. 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa And the forced conversion was stupid, sorry. Like forcing a religion change would change a personality.😕 4y

Gezemice @GingerAntics It makes sense that he used stories already well known. People still flock to remakes, while a new idea is risky. Another remake of Spiderman? Everybody is there! 4y

Lcsmcat @GingerAntics Sorry! 4y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat it‘s okay. I think it‘s pretty much down hill from here isn‘t it? You‘re not the only one who has finished, either. 4y

Gezemice @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Yeah, the forced conversion was not in the source and it seems to me especially cruel. I wonder if some stagings leave that out? I hope so. 4y

Lcsmcat @GingerAntics It‘s 2020. Time has no meaning. 😀 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice that forced conversion thing. Ugh. I just had a thought, though. Shakespeare loved during the Catholic/Protestant issues in England. His father had Catholic leanings (he may have been raised Catholic) and citizens were forced to be the Christian variant of the ruler and that kept changing. I wonder if the forced conversion was commentary on what was done to the English people themselves. 4y

Gezemice @GingerAntics I finished Act V as well, yeah, it is short and just wraps things up. In many of his plays the action is unevenly distributed. 4y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat 🤣😂🤣 can this year just end already? But only if 2021 is going to be better. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice what works in movies today, worked in theatres then. We always complain that small children want the same story over and over, but we do it, too. Maybe not as persistently and obviously as small children, but we pretty much stick to the same stories over and over. We even compare new books to older books. “Hey, this story is just like this other story I love” when it‘s not really or only partly. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice I always find the comedies to stop abruptly. Either the logical ending is by passed, more is added and then suddenly it‘s over (like this one) or nothing is really concluded. I think I‘m going to finish tonight and just be done with it. 4y

Gezemice @GingerAntics That‘s an interesting thought. I just finished a book that had the three children of Henry VIII who were yoyoing their subjects between protestantism and Catholicism. Edward VI was fervently protestant and banned Catholic services. Mary was fervently Catholic and burned protestants. Finally Elizabeth was a pragmatic protestant and tolerated Catholicism. But yeah, I guess, someone was always trying to convert everyone. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice EXACTLY! I hadn‘t thought of it until just now. I think for a lot of Christians at that time, because even then most people weren‘t really devout and really church goers, all the back and forth wasn‘t a big deal. They just shrugged and showed up where they were told at Easter abs Christmas and called it a year. When you make it not one sect/denomination to another but one religion to another, it shows the upheaval more. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice For the devout, being forced to the other sect/denomination was a big deal and a great upheaval. Shakespeare may have been devout. His father may have been. He was known to appease or play directly to Queen Elizabeth in other plays, perhaps this was another case of that. 4y

Graywacke Coming in late today. A note on the conversion - Shylock can only pursue his money lending as a Jew. The conversion, whatever he might feel inside, ends his livelihood. It‘s an important part of his complete destruction. 4y

Graywacke This act was one my quickest reads with Shakespeare. It‘s straightforward and generally easy to follow (except the Duke‘s initial speech). I find it‘s a difficult play to respond to because Shylock was terrible, ready to murder his social and business enemy. That‘s going way too far. But Portia works out a complete humiliation. Shylock undoes himself and is completely ruined and robbed. 4y

Graywacke I find Portia consistently showing a clever cruelness and her game with the ring completely in character. (edited) 4y

Graywacke Litcharts is convinced Antonio is gay and thinks there is innuendo in Bassanio spending that last night with him before heading back to Portia. 4y

Graywacke @Gezemice thanks for the note on the source! 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke there is no “good” side and “bad” side between Shylock and Antonio. It‘s hard to say that taking away a person‘s ability to make money is justified either way. I get why they forced him to convert, I still think it‘s too much. I still think there is an argument for their treatment of Jews making Shylock the way he is. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke THAT‘S THE WORD I WAS LOOKING FOR!!! She has a clever, calculated cruelness. Yes. Thank you for that. The ring plays right into that and is just more of the same. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I‘m not going to lie, the way the audio play was done, the way those two actors played those parts kind of gave me that vibe, too. I totally wrote it off as not important and just me until you said that. I‘m not saying Shakespeare wrote it that way, I‘m just saying that seems a viable interpretation for productions. 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics as a Jew it was Shylock against the entire moneyed world of Venice. (Portia can be cruel and get away with it because she‘s team Venice. Shylock could not. He thought he could play the game and get his revenge, but I think he probably really never had a chance as an outsider. It was this or that. I think someone was going to find the way to turn it against him. He broke that contract of delicate and limited tolerance.) 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics that was to your 1st response 4y

Gezemice @Graywacke You are right, Shylock was never going to win. Although if he set his mind on something less than murder, like enslaving Antonio, he might have pulled it off. And that would have been more fitting, too. Imagine Antonio scrubbing Shylock‘s privy! 4y

Gezemice @Graywacke I get the Arden Shakespeare editions from the library because they are well annotated. The story is Appendix I, right after the play. That‘s how I found it, turned the page 😊 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke YES!!! That‘s what I‘ve been trying to say. I should just let you post for me on this one. 🤣 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice 🤣😂🤣 oh my god that‘s a mental image I will never get rid of now. 4y

Graywacke @Gezemice The image of Antonio scrubbing the privy makes smile a little ☺️ 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics oh no no no. Happy to take a break on this one and leave it all to you 😂 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice is it the Arden performance editions or is there another edition? When we start rereading, I may have to switch to those. If those are the right editions, I‘m definitely getting Hamlet. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke 🤣😂🤣 all day I‘ve been trying to find the right words to describe what I‘m thinking about this act. I was repeating myself and I felt like I was spinning in circles, then you come in and everything you said was like the exact thing I was thinking but couldn‘t figure out how to express. I feel like all my posts amount to “forget this madness of me trying to figure this out. Just read what Dan said.” 🤣😂🤣 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Gezemice I like that thought, it makes some sense in the times he was telling the story for his audience. 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics I‘m thinking about the ring thing now.... maybe for Portia that was another test, like the casks...would he pick gold over his word, was he more interested in the monetary value of the ring, even a ring gifted by his wife....or in reality would he pick the lead casket, risk it all to keep his world and save his friend. Maybe for her it was a parallel test, to see if he lived what the scripture taught him? 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics aw, thanks. Grateful for your leadership here. 🙂 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke thanks. It feels like the blind leading the blind. 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa hm. I never thought of it that way. She‘s learned to test the people she loves by her father. I wonder what he might have done to her when she was a child to test her loyalty or her love. The caskets are just the final of his tests, the one we get to see. So she‘s testing him with the ring. Man I wish I could remember act V. I seriously thought this was the end of the play. 4y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics seems Bassanio was willing to give everything away that he was given. Offers Shylock twice, thrice, 10x and later even his new wife‘s life. I haven‘t read Act V, so don‘t know if Portia provides a purpose. (edited) 4y

Gezemice @GingerAntics It is not a performance edition. It says “The Arden Shakespeare”. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I remember that. I remember chuckling when she, as the lawyer, asks what she would think of that. 😏 4y

batsy I do agree with comments above that Shylock was set up from the start. His Jewishness/being an outsider was never going to enable him to be the one doing the outwitting. Whether this was Shakespeare's commentary on the antisemitism of English society at the time is something I'm less sure of, but just like with racism & sexism in his other plays, he puts forth the problem & depicts the prejudice & hypocrisy. I enjoyed Portia very much in this act. 4y

batsy @Graywacke I'm convinced Antonio is gay, too. But that's because we "read" it that way for the first time as undergrads in class and I wonder if that reading has just stuck with me. The repressed love for Bassanio as the source of his unsolvable melancholy. 4y

GingerAntics @batsy I have such mixed feelings about Portia in this act. I love that she was the cleverest person in the courthouse. I don‘t like how she used that power, if that makes sense. 4y

GingerAntics @batsy 🤣😂🤣 I never thought of it that way. When I read it, we didn‘t really discuss that much that I recall. We were mostly concerned with Shylock (at least that‘s what has stayed with me). I like your interpretation. It makes a lot of sense. It also explains why Antonio would give up his life (offer a pound of flesh near the heart ❤️) for Bassanio‘s happiness. (edited) 4y

batsy @GingerAntics Oh yes, that makes total sense. She did it for "love" but also in service of the power that further represses Shylock (and people like him). So yes, very complex and not particularly enjoyable in that sense. 4y

batsy @GingerAntics Lol yes, and it makes me feel sympathy for at least one of these Venetians! If Antonio was struggling with that I can extend some sympathy to one aspect of his character, because otherwise his words to Shylock... Oof. 4y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics since the world went to hell in a hand basket I was a tad busy. So. Strangely all I could think of reading this was my grandma telling me white men who wanted to control women/people translated the Bible according to what would work for them and since very few people could actually read -no one caught it. Jews learned by word of mouth down your family line. I know she seriously distrusted Christians for ⬇️⬇️ 4y

TheBookHippie Changing the Bible to “work for them” since they were white rich educated and took out all parts that were essentially Jewish and pro women. She was quite the character and I‘ve done a bit of research and found a lot of it based on truth 🤯😳. So reading this I was like WAIT?! What? WHY?! 4y

TheBookHippie Other than that I do find this easier to read and Portia 🤷🏽‍♀️ woe. She‘s like a mean girl you secretly love but then maybe hate! 🤣 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie what a great way to describe Portia. I‘ve read a few things that talk about how Christians changed the bible. Rome took over and they certainly couldn‘t have anything that said anything good about women. They might have to actually give them citizenship then. 🙄 Ugh. 4y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics RIGHT? Somedays it feels like we currently live in Rome 🤮 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie there are certainly plenty of men in power (and a disturbing number of women - mainly because that number is above 0) that would love to make America more like Rome. 🙄 It is truly disturbing and ridiculous. I‘m pretty sure there are even some folks cool with the slavery and public executions as entertainment, too. 4y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics You are correct. Blows your mind right ? And nothing more heinous than these women supporting this shit show 🤬 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie PRECISELY!!! Oh my god, I can‘t even. 4y

21 likes76 comments

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

I‘m thinking his “Jewish heart” was hardened by the stone cold Christian hearts around him. This says more to me about the Duke than it says about Shylock to me.
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong

11 likes

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

Bassanio has chosen the right casket, but Antonio is in trouble with Shylock and the law. Just when you thought there was a happy moment, the play has taken a dark(er) turn. I have a feeling the antisemism is only going to get worse.
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong
@merelybookish @graywacke

Riveted_Reader_Melissa It will, but you‘ve read this before so you know that! I read ahead this week too, and I‘m finding myself wondering if there is a good modern retelling, that could shift this complicated story more anti-bullying, anti-prejudice, forgiveness as it twists towards the end.....if there isn‘t there should be. 4y

See All 39 Comments

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Ok, about this Act. Yes, a bit of happiness. I liked that and I like Portia‘s character. 4y

TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I wondered that too. Is there a modern retelling ? 4y

TheBookHippie I like Portia. I think the antisemitism will get to a ridiculous over the top point😭 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie you are a wise woman. 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @TheBookHippie a modern retelling would be nice. Maybe where Antonio learns where he‘s being a jerk and Shylock learns he‘s being harsh and unforgiving. Where they can come together and forgive each other and no one‘s pound of flesh goes anywhere (not saying it does or anything), and no one is forced to just suck it up as “that‘s the way it is” and everyone is free to be themselves. 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @TheBookHippie trying so hard in that last post to not reveal anything while still making sense. My head hurts now. 🥵🤣 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics I know, I broached this subject too soon....we‘ll talk about it again in the last discussion. 4y

Lcsmcat @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I haven‘t read it yet so I can‘t speak to its treatment of the story, but there is a retelling:

Shylock Is My Name

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa it‘s so compelling, though. It will make for a good conversation I think. 4y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat sounds interesting. I wonder why it has such a low rating on litsy. 4y

Lcsmcat @GingerAntics It looks like most reviews were for the audio version, so maybe it‘s better in print. I‘ve read 3 of the Hogarth retellings and some were better than others. But all were good enough that I would read this one. 4y

Graywacke I haven‘t read ahead so going blind. This seemed like it could be headed for easy resolution with Portia $$. But i don‘t know what Portia is up to or where it‘s going. Shylock sees 🩸 4y

Graywacke Side note: I would think Antonio‘s fortunes are a reflection of what was happening at those London docks. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke that‘s a pretty good assessment of the end of act III. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke what do you mean? Antonio losing his fortunes or him putting too much stock in ships that hadn‘t come in yet? Please explain more. It seems an interesting line of thinking. (edited) 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics just that like Venice, London was heavy into the high stakes shipping economy and had these precarious fortunes made and lost quickly. It feels very much like it could be a reflection of then contemporary London. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I think it is. Maybe that‘s why Shakespeare put so many plays in that area. It paralleled his own country. 4y

LitStephanie I totally failed on this one but will definitely pick back up with the group next play! 4y

GingerAntics @LitStephanie that‘s cool 4y

batsy @Graywacke @GingerAntics That's an interesting point re: Antonio's debt/seesaw fortunes and commentary on London as a whole. I find the debt/bondage angle of this play super interesting and would love to read more about it. 4y

batsy @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I like Portia a lot, too! I like her exchanges with Nerissa but we don't quite get enough of the latter. 4y

Graywacke @batsy @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘m not sure i like Portia at all. ☺️😁 But then I do like the crazy Shylock, so I might not be the best judge... (I don‘t like her because she seems false to me. All strategy and acted emotion. “Oh, shocker, my Bassinio won. Let me bat my eyes.” Shylock is pretty straightforward. Integrity is not at issue.) 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke what you see is what you get with Shylock. I completely agree with that. Other characters, I‘m always kind of wondering what their angle is. I don‘t ever have to wonder with Shylock. 4y

batsy @Graywacke I like Shylock, too :) In the same way I liked Aaron in Titus. They are perceived as despicable and certainly do bad things but they have an integrity that comes from being characters that reveal the hypocrisies and prejudices of that society, I think. I'm not sure I'm explaining it well... 4y

GingerAntics @batsy that‘s a good way of putting it. They‘re honest about themselves and the people around them in a way none of the other characters are. 4y

Graywacke @batsy @GingerAntics completely agree. In that way, they are victims of racism who accept that reality and deal with it as it is. (Aaron, however, is more sophisticated. Shylock is an open book. Maybe that will be his undoing. ??) 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke oh poor Shylock, I always feel bad for him in the end. 4y

Gezemice This is such a great act and I am such an ass that I did not read it on time. I think Shylock‘s speech “Hath not a Jew eyes” speech is one of the finest Shakespeare has written and a clear denounciation of how Jews are treated (if not antisemitism itself). He is also clear on that Shylock has learned cruelty from the Christians: “The villainy you teach me I will execute”. @batsy @Graywacke (edited) 4y

Gezemice @Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @batsy Portia is a great character and she is just starting. I did love her quip about men when they get ready to dress as men: “I have within mind a thousand raw tricks of these bragging Jacks, which I will practice.” 4y

Gezemice I also very much enjoyed the banter at the end of the act between Lorenzo, Lancelot and Jessica. “he says you are no good member of the commonwealth, for in converting Jews to Christians, you raise the price of pork.” 4y

Graywacke @Gezemice interesting how Shylock‘s speech echoes the Moor‘s on the color of blood and, i think, Aaron to an extent in Titus. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice I totally agree with that. If you treat Jews poorly from birth, how do you expect them to treat others? People act the way they‘ve been treated by people. We can claim “but you can choose something different” and “treat others the way you want to be treated,” but if there is no one to model that, people have no idea how to act beyond the way they‘ve been treated. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke we can never know for sure, of course, but I really think Shakespeare wasn‘t a huge fan of racism, antisemitism, or prejudice in any form. Maybe he was secretly a black, Jewish, woman. 🤣😂🤣 4y

Gezemice @Graywacke Interesting point - I will have to look that up. I shamefully admit that I skipped Titus - I just had too many group reads. Hopefully I will fix that one day. 4y

Gezemice @GingerAntics I think Shylock is seeking revenge in particular on Antonio. I don‘t think that in everyday life he would have been cruel. Miserly, yes, but I am quite sure that any community would model compassion within it towards their own, especially such a persecuted one as the Jews. 4y

Gezemice @GingerAntics @Graywacke Yes, Shakespeare was a compassionate man, and especially capable to put himself into the shoes of people different from him. That makes him sucha timeless writer. While his plays display the time they have been written in, they also transcend it. Especially this play: there is overt antisemitism but also compassion for the Jew; and a definite support for the idea that women can do as well as men if given the opportunity. 4y

25 likes1 stack add39 comments

Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

pick

Finished this late last night/early this morning. I only meant to read one Act for our discussion this weekend, but then I wanted to see what happened & just read it all 🤫 oopsie🤪

I actually enjoyed this story and all of the twists, if only I could remove all the religious prejudices/discrimination it would have been perfect. Actually, I think it could be re-written without that and just become about letting go of prejudices/grudges.🤷‍♀️

Riveted_Reader_Melissa #ShakespeareReadAlong 4y

GingerAntics Right? The religious prejudice really clouds it for me, too. Christopher Marlowe, one of Shakespeare‘s contemporaries, wrote a play called “The Jew of Malta” that also has a Jewish money lender. It was a popular theme it would seem. 4y

LitStephanie @GingerAntics and @Riveted_Reader_Melissa You know, what's crazy is that at the time what happened would have been considered merciful to the Jewish guy. In The Jew of Malta, the main character, who is Jewish, is portrayed as a murdering monster and gets killed in the end. 4y

GingerAntics @LitStephanie I know. We read Jew of Malta along with this one, and I never remembered this one because all I remembered was them killing Barabas at the end of JofM. I vividly remember the discussion of choosing that name for that character as well. JofM has so many Christian overtones it almost makes Merchant seem like it has none. 4y

50 likes1 stack add4 comments

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

I do love a good riddle, especially when the answer is staring you in the face, but you don‘t see it until you‘ve really thought about it. 💙🤍💙 It must be the Ravenclaw in me.
HINT: In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, think about how Indy chooses the correct cup. 😇
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong

GingerAntics So many layers to the meaning of the answer. The more I think about it, the more they come. I‘ve got three different layers now. 4y

CindyMyLifeIsLit Merchant is one of my favorites!! ❤️❤️ 4y

Cuilin I love a riddle too. That was my favorite part when I read the Da Vinci Code. This one is good and I agree it‘s obvious my class of 13 year olds got it! 4y

GingerAntics @Cuilin really? 13 year olds just got it without any help? Wow. Maybe adults over think it. I quite love a riddle like that. I enjoyed the riddles and puzzles in The Da Vinci Code as well. 4y

18 likes4 comments

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

We now know which of the caskets is the right one. What did you think of that choice?
Did you notice the antisemitic elements in this act more than the last?
What did you think of Jessica and Shylock‘s relationship? What did you think of Jessica and Lorenzo‘s elopement?
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong
@merelybookish @graywacke

GingerAntics I totally forgot how much this was the “ra ra Christianity rocks” play. I wasn‘t down with all the conversion talk back when I was a Christian, now it‘s making me squeamish (and it‘s only going to get worse). 4y

See All 47 Comments

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics Yes, I definitely noticed that EVEN more; before this is over I have a feeling a few people are going to be looking for their pound of flesh. As far as the casks, there is only one left, but I‘m thinking that‘s not right either. The ingenious thing to do would be wait for the guy that says, who cares what your father wanted, I only care about you, let‘s leave them all and run away....and then she has the choice of going with them⤵️ 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...or forcing them to pick a cask and getting rid of them. 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa there is a right casket and is hasn‘t been chosen yet. It‘s a bunch of Christian symbolism. 4y

Graywacke @Riveted_Reader_Melissa i like that plan. 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics i‘m not so sure this is a ra ra Christianity play. There is a lot of criticism. The pound if flesh itself is a Christian compromise (for the time) and its repulsive. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I‘m thinking more of the constant “Judaism bad, Christianity good” everyone should want to convert mumbo jumbo. I won‘t ruin later acts, but it gets pretty ugly. So much of this play has come back since we started reading. 4y

Lcsmcat I find this play difficult, but like The Taming Of the Shrew it can differ according to the way it‘s played. The AntiDefamation League has a good resource here https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/education-outreach/... meant for high school teachers. In my day schools (at least mine) just didn‘t teach it. And I think that‘s a mistake too. Shakespeare was of his time, but he also 👇🏻 4y

Lcsmcat 👆🏻 transcends that time, which is why we still read him. 4y

Graywacke The bard has an interesting way of putting things into his character‘s mouths while not committing his own perspective. I‘m looking for the Jewish criticism. But mostly it‘s flawed characters making racist and antisemitic points. That is, it is all framed from their iffy perspective, which undermines things a bit. No angles here. 👇👇 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics interesting. It‘s all new to me. I wanted to add that what is clear is that the Shylock is not part of the club - and the bard has gone far to create this xtian-Venitian club. 4y

mollyrotondo @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I love this idea for Portia! I was thinking the same thing. That none of the casks are the correct choice. I am not getting the lead box relating to anything Christian but maybe things become clearer as we continue. It was really shocking to read Jessica‘s and Lancelot‘s disdain for Shylock because he‘s Jewish. They feel remorseful for thinking the way they do but they still make choices in favor of their bigotry. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat thanks for that link. Will dig in further. 4y

GingerAntics @Lcsmcat unfortunately it seems that most schools have cut Shakespeare a lot. He‘s not on the tests, so there is no time to sit and comb through a play. If a play is covered, the state has chosen it and put something about it on the test, so if and what Shakespeare is covered differed greatly from state to state. I agree, we should be making this more accessible, not less. 4y

GingerAntics @mollyrotondo @Riveted_Reader_Melissa it comes down to the phrase on the box “who chooseth me, must give and hazard all he hath” not the material itself. The answer seems so obvious once you have it. What does the New Testament say about man‘s desires? (Gold box) What does the NT say about what man deserves? (Silver box) What does the NT say man must do to be saved? (Lead box) 4y

GingerAntics @mollyrotondo @Riveted_Reader_Melissa Saying a man must give and risk everything he has to marry his daughter also has a second meaning that could be construed as romantic. It‘s a little medieval, but somewhat romantic. 4y

GingerAntics @mollyrotondo @Riveted_Reader_Melissa there IS a correct answer and someone will get it. I think the idea is that the most pious man will get the answer correct...or the man who thinks not about himself but about the riddle itself. If you‘ve seen Indian Jones and the Last Crusade, think in terms of Indy choosing the right cup. As riddles go, it is a fun one. 4y

mollyrotondo @GingerAntics have we come across riddles before in Shakespeare? I‘m having a hard time thinking of any other plays with riddles. 4y

GingerAntics @mollyrotondo that‘s a good question. I had to look it up. We actually have, but totally missed them. Apparently Hamlet has one, Macbeth has one (given by the three hags), and King Lear has one. https://goodriddlesnow.com/posts/view/riddles-of-shakespheare Skip the part about Merchant of Venice if you don‘t want the answer to this one, although it doesn‘t go into the symbolism. 4y

Gezemice @Graywacke @GingerAntics I agree with Graywacke. I think this play is critical of racism. Shylock is presented as a mean man but also as a human being. He has been given a forum to present his own point of view, how this abuse is dehumanizing and horrible. And how can Christians claim superiority if they treat other humans this way? He is bitter but he has plenty of cause. 4y

Gezemice @mollyrotondo I could not help being disgusted by Jessica. She spurns her own father, and robs him, too. He loves and trusts her. Where Christian viewers supposed to like this? Shylock also loses his servant, who also speaks ill of him. The man has been betrayed and left all alone. And people laugh at him. No compassion for a Jew. I kind of doubt Shakespeare is making a case for Christianity here... they are all behaving vilely. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice I agree with all of that. I think how it comes across is in how it‘s played, too. There has been a lot of discussion about the different ways these parts can be played that sort of change the dynamic. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7UOdMHW7J2Q this is the video my prof used to start the conversation on this idea. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice @mollyrotondo as far as I‘ve been told, people in Shakespeare‘s day would have applauded Jessica‘s actions and they did like it. This was the view in Shakespeare‘s day (and today in some places) of Jews and Christians. We see them as behaving vilely, but in that time people would have seen Antonio and other characters as just in their treatment. Their behaviour just gets worse. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice yeah, I‘m not a fan of Jessica either. Leave if you feel that‘s what you need to do, but to take his money and stuff? They talk about Shylock treating her poorly, but then he worries about her safety when he warns her to stay away from the windows during the revelries. She almost comes off as a bratty teenager in today‘s society. 4y

mollyrotondo @GingerAntics @Gezemice Uhh it hurts to know people at the time would have thought Jessica was right in her actions against her father. I will say that I agree with @Graywacke that Shylock to me comes across as the sympathetic character because of what he says to Antonio in Act I. He is the voice of truth. But of course if ppl in Shakespeare‘s time looked at Shylock like Lancelot and Jessica do, then they might think he‘s a fool. 4y

GingerAntics @mollyrotondo I think it went beyond Shylock as a character. Oddly, it was a similar mentality to what lead to the rise of Hitler. Jews are greedy, they can‘t be trusted, they‘re out to get Christians, etc. This was the period when Spain was burning these poor people at the steak for entertainment and there were plenty of people on the rest of Europe that maybe didn‘t like that extreme, but felt the same way. It wasn‘t pretty at all. @Gezemice (edited) 4y

GingerAntics @mollyrotondo @Gezemice I agree that Shylock comes across as the most sympathetic character. The words “long suffering” come to mind. Any cynicism he has, any anger he has, any bitterness comes from a lifetime of taking abuse from the likes of Antonio. Shylock just might be the most likeable character in the whole thing just because he generally speaking treats people decently when he‘s never really been afforded the same. 4y

Graywacke Just want to add that i did reread act 1.3 and the talk between Shylock and Antonio is spectacular. What Shakespeare could do in so little time. Friendly to restrained-bitter to outright hateful and yet the two have to play it out and in way work cooperatively at this game of business and maintain their wits while seething. 4y

Graywacke I thought Act 2 seemed more entertainment to move the plot along. The riddle was a nice gimmick and he draws it out through three disconnected scenes (four if you include scene 9). I do wonder if Lorenzo will stick with Jessica. 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics @mollyrotondo @Gezemice Interesting about Shylock. I find myself viewing him more as corrupted by obsession with money than sympathetic. It would be nice to see him in an all Jewish setting without the marginalized aspect and see if he has some humanity or if it‘s all spite and greed. (The window with Launcelot and Jessica was not very revealing) Antonio should be worried though. 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics @mollyrotondo @Gezemice Having said all that i do think about Shylock‘s role on Shakespeare‘s and Jew-less London‘s perception of Jews. We saw Calaban fill-in the colonial stereotype. Shylock is doing the money-hungry Jewish stereotype - all numbers and spite, no heart. It‘s not a pleasant to think that through. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke it‘s definitely not pleasant. It would be interesting to see Shylock in a situation where he wasn‘t marginalised. He is spiteful and could conceivably be greedy, but I think part of that is the stereotype. We have to remember we‘re looking at a marginalised group through the lens of the dominant group, so there is no telling if we‘re getting an honest view or not. 4y

MoonWitch94 I am behind! Will catch up this week so I can chat with you all!! 🧡 4y

merelybookish I did read and was ready to discuss and then got distracted. I don't have much to add re: Shylock. I thought the comparison between this play and Taming of the Shrew was apt. You have to give Shakespeare credit. Even if his intention was anti-semitic, his writing allows for ways to critique or transcend that position through performance. I enjoyed the chests. Reminded me of a fairy take and the rule of three. Jessica did get some good lines. 4y

GingerAntics @merelybookish you‘re so right about his plays transcending what his personal opinions may have been. It really makes me want to find a time machine and go meet him and talk to him. (edited) 4y

batsy @Graywacke I thought the exchange of words between Shylock and Antonio in that scene in Act 1 pretty great, too. An economy of words but digs deep at the depth of the prejudice that colours the interaction. 4y

batsy Sorry, another one of those weeks; struggled to catch up with this Act & just finished. Was it just me or did it seem like a lot was going on here? Whew. I find the antisemitism glaring but like @Graywacke & @merelybookish say Shakespeare has a way of presenting the ugly & the counterpoint to the prejudice without committing to a viewpoint. Shylock reminded me a bit of Aaron in Titus Andronicus—a complex character yet victim of systemic prejudice. 4y

Gezemice @Graywacke @GingerAntics @mollyrotondo @merelybookish This is one of my favorite plays of his because of Shylock. I think Shakespeare was talking out about the inhuman treatment of the Jews but he was the product of his time. So both the antisemitism is there but also how tragic it is. Maybe he saw Shylock as a tragic figure who brings it upon himself but still suffers from it? Like King Lear? 4y

Gezemice @GingerAntics @mollyrotondo I was attempting to watch it because I read it once. The two I watched the first act of so far was the BBC adaptation - in it Shylock is played as a shifty Jew. This has the full text of the play but did not like Shylock. The other is the Al Pacino film from 2004. This one takes Shylock as a dignified character and shows the antisemitism in a bad light. But it cuts mostof the text. So I went back to reading. ⬇️ (edited) 4y

Gezemice ... the point being that interpretations differ greatly as @GingerAntics said. That is probably the longevity of the Bard: his plays can be adapted in so many ways. 4y

Graywacke @Gezemice interesting! I think Shakespeare likes pure calculating figures and likes to show their machiavellian logic while making them villains (Aaron, Octavian, Leer‘s daughter‘s and the bad ed) Shylock seems another one of those. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke @Gezemice Jews were automatically the villains in Shakespeare‘s day. All you had to do was identify someone as a Jew and everyone knew they were the villain. Is Shylock a villain because of his own actions, or because that is what he has been made? 4y

Gezemice @GingerAntics Shakespeare is pretty clear on that they were made this way by the cruelty they suffered. Shylock says in Act 3 pretty well. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice I agree that it‘s what he has been made. In fact, there is a solid argument that his actions are a product of what he‘s been made. I can‘t speak for other playwrights, but I feel like Shakespeare is saying these characters are they way they are, because others have made them that way. (edited) 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke or is Shylock calculating because that‘s how he‘s learned to survive in the Christian world? We never get to see what he‘s like when he‘s surrounded by Jewish people. What is he like at Hanukkah celebrations? Rosh Hashanah just started. How will he act tonight at dinner with some friends? We don‘t know. Shylock needs his own play. @Gezemice 4y

19 likes1 stack add47 comments

Daisey

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

Sunday morning Shakespeare

I‘m not at all sure what I think of this play, but the audio performance is great.

#ShakespeareReadalong #BookAndBreakfast

MidnightBookGirl I have that mug!
4y

Daisey @MidnightBookGirl This one was a gift from students who know me well, and it‘s one of my favorites! 4y

Philonist I own that book!!! 4y

69 likes1 stack add3 comments

Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

@Daisey Did this jump out at you too...maybe I‘m just reading too much Tolkien and making weird connections? #FellowshipOfTolkien & #ShakespeareReadAlong

Arragon/Aragorn 🤪

LitStephanie LOL, Tolkien was a liberal arts professor so maybe there is a connection! 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @LitStephanie He was influenced by a lot of classic literature, and in turn influenced a lot of fantasy that came after. We‘ve been reading through the Histories of Middle Earth and I‘m always still amazed as his sources and/or references to his work show up in my other reading as I‘m reading about his works. 4y

JazzFeathers Good catch @Riveted_Reader_Melissa! I don't remember what Tolkien's relationship with Shakespeare was, but l seem to remember he appreciated him in spite of being theatre 🤔 4y

Daisey Such a fun catch! I saw your post before I read Act II this morning, but I‘m sure this would have jumped out to me as well. 4y

41 likes1 stack add4 comments

merelybookish

Merchant of Venice (2010 edition): Oxford School Shakespeare | William Shakespeare

Finished Act II and am officially caught up with #shakespearereadalong. Stuck with this weird edition copy from the library. Haven't resorted to reading the modern translation yet.

GingerAntics In high school those were the easiest editions to read, but now they feel so awkward. 4y

67 likes1 stack add1 comment

Cuilin

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

I‘m a little late, I started remote teaching this week! So much planning 😩 so I‘m treating myself to some quiet reading. TMoV was my very first Shakespeare play at age 12 or 13 for school. I‘ve read once since then, so excited to read again. Great opening line!!
#shakespearereadalong @merelybookish @Graywacke

Graywacke Wishing you and all teachers well in this craziness. And, glad you‘re starting. 4y

merelybookish I also started late but am caught up for tomorrow! I hope it's offering you some peace. 4y

53 likes2 stack adds2 comments

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

Antonio is in a funk. Portia is love sick. Shylock has clearly has some negative run ins with Antonio, so now he‘s asked for his “pound of flesh.”
What‘s up with Antonio? Do you think he‘s officially depressed or is it something else?
What do you think of Portia‘a father‘s test for potential suitors?
What do you think about the history between Shylock and Antonio?
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong
@merelybookish @graywacke

Graywacke I thought this act was terrific and I think all those questions you have highlight why. There is so much going on already (plus some drama and bitter confrontation). 4y

See All 45 Comments

GingerAntics @Graywacke this act sure gets right into things 4y

TheBookHippie First I thought you may like this article I use it when trying to explain Jewish history of any kind https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-moneylending/ 4y

TheBookHippie I love this act. Portia is supposed to be Shakespeares “strong woman”? Is that right? As for the deal so many crazy things in olden times however have you seen alt right religious rules for woman to marry😳 I think Portias dad was clever. 🤣 who knows what‘s eating him it is he trying to act that way for a purpose ? I need to reread this section over again in silence I had a few interruptions 🤦🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️ 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I thought of some of the crazy marriage rules some ultra religious folks have, including “virginity checks.” 🙄 It‘s so twisted. Portia doesn‘t seem very much like a strong woman at the moment, but perhaps it‘s one of those “we all have a bad day” type things. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Maybe it is a put on by Antonio. That‘s good thinking. 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I love that article. I‘ll go read it after my nap. All I know about moneylending and why the Jewish men always did it was because of some interpretation of a bible passage by the church that said it wasn‘t Christian to collect interest, so Christian men really couldn‘t have a business of moneylending. 4y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics We read a Sunday Buddy Read with it as part of the prominent story. I was told as a child it was just business but Jew to Jew was never a loan but a gift but to a Christian it was a loan because they had no sense of morals 🤣🤣🤣🤣. The book was

Spinning Silver

Lcsmcat @TheBookHippie Thanks for sharing the article. 4y

Lcsmcat This was a great Act 1 - lots of exposition but given in a way that drew me right in. This is my first read on this play. 4y

TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat it‘s my first read too. I have found their site very helpful. 4y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie interesting article. About Portia, I wonder if she must honor this will, or chooses to honor it, or maybe is using it in her own way - a way of discarding all the chaff she does like. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat drew me right in too. 4y

mollyrotondo Okay so this is my second Shakespeare comedy and I am pleased to say that I am getting the humor a lot more in this one. It took me a while with Loves Labors Lost but this one I picked up on the tone much more easily. I like how everything gets laid out very clearly. 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I noticed that going the other way, too. Antonio says Shylock is being kind so he must be becoming Christian. 🙄 Never mind all the horrible things you‘ve done to him - and admitted - before, Antonio. I like the thought that Jew to Jew is a gift, but Jew to Christian is a loan. You get the money and have to pay it back, then you get to give me a little extra because you‘ve been a total jerk to me. Thanks! 😂 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie how could I forget about the church giving and taking loans. Clearly I was educated from a Christian world view. The Vatican was one of the largest banks in Christendom at one point. You‘d think if anyone should be giving gifts, it should be the church, but we all know that is NEVER happening. 4y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics oh Christendom??‍♀️ alt religion is about money and power. Jesus is love social justice etc. the real one. Jews are supposed tikkun olam "world repair." In modern Jewish circles, tikkun olam has become synonymous with the notion of social action and the pursuit of social justice to do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. That‘s what I do 4y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics my grandma was a hoot who knows ? She had her own version of how things went. 🤣🤣😬 4y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke I think she‘s using it 🤣 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie @Graywacke I‘m voting she‘s using it. 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie so glad Christians aren‘t doing that anymore. 🙄 Some things clearly never change. Some of the weird things they do to try to convert people (they call it “saving them” that pretty much sums it all up) is just appalling and amazingly coercive. Their conversion haunted houses are a freakin hoot, but so creepy (not in a haunted house sort of way, but in a WTF sort of way). 4y

mollyrotondo @GingerAntics I really liked that exchange between Antonio and Shylock. Antonio likes to torment Shylock but he asks him for money? And he thinks Shylock is just going to give him money? Shylock‘s response to Antonio was really fantastic. 4y

Graywacke @TheBookHippie @GingerAsh Portia is one to mess with. 🙂 4y

GingerAntics @mollyrotondo right? The only use Antonio has for Shylock is to use him. 🙄 It‘s amazing how clueless Antonio is in that exchange. 4y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics THEY can‘t save anyone -last time I checked there is only one Divine . The one in their teaching. They should probably read their actual bibles 🤣 It says tell others love others not save and convert 😳🤷🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️😬 4y

Graywacke @mollyrotondo @GingerAntics there is so much going on in that conversation at the end with Shylock and Antonio. I‘ll need to read that again. It‘s fascinating, all the bitterness and need practicality and set up looking ahead. 4y

mollyrotondo @Graywacke yes I am so intrigued by his set up! I am going to read it again too before I read Act II. That whole scene was just so well written! 4y

TheBookHippie @Graywacke my plan as well tomorrow morning in the quiet to reread that. 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie right? I love how they will happily quote the bible out of context, and but if part of it doesn‘t work for them, they just pretend it doesn‘t exist. 4y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics EXACTLY 🤦🏽‍♀️ 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke there are certainly several layers to that conversation. I was just thinking I may have to go back to read it again. 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie yup. Drives me nuts. 🤦🏼‍♀️ So glad I escaped that madness. 4y

GingerAntics @TheBookHippie I think the weirdest thing I have ever heard of it the “life verse” thing. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Somehow, people are choosing a single verse in a huge book, to love their life around. I‘m pretty sure that‘s not what anyone intended when they wrote the thing. 4y

batsy I thought it was a solid first act, too. Solid & compact. Beautiful language, clean & precise. I loved Portia in this act. When we read this in uni years ago Antonio's melancholy was located in his maybe unrecognised/unacknowledged pining for Bassanio, as melancholy in Shakespeare's comedies tend to be associated with unfulfilled love (that is later fulfilled). In the tragedies, that melancholy tends to foresee, well, tragedy lol. 4y

Graywacke @batsy i‘ve been using www.litcharts.com and they suggest that the mystery of Antonio‘s melancholy is important in itself. The implication is we‘re supposed to wonder and if we solve it, it actually over simplifies the play. I found that interesting. Bassanio is using him. Curious. 4y

batsy @Graywacke Thanks for the link! Do we just search for the text in question on LitCharts? I like the idea that solving Antonio's melancholy over-simplifies the play, but that seems true of any interpretation of a text... Once we start looking for a meaning, we might ignore other kinds of meaning? If that makes sense :) 4y

Graywacke @batsy this might help: https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-merchant-of-venice/act-1-scene-1 4y

Graywacke @batsy that seems like a bit of a conundrum. A danger of the arts. 🙂 4y

Gezemice Antonio is such a major ass. He treats Jews worse than animals and even when he asks for Shylock‘s money he curses him. I guess it shows how much a Christian could get away with. I have read this play last year andit has some of the Bard‘s best lines - from Shylock. 4y

Gezemice @TheBookHippie @GingerAntics Portia becomes a strong woman later in the play. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice Shylock does get all the best lines in this one. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice because she‘s playing her father, or maybe more accurately, she‘s figured out how to use his ridiculous game to her advantage so she gets her pick. 4y

Gezemice @GingerAntics I read it last year... Portia does something completely different and kicks ass. 4y

GingerAntics @Gezemice I think I know what you‘re talking about. I remember the great stir that part of the play made in our class, especially since we had a former lawyer in the room. We also weren‘t really impressed with the antisemitism of that part of the play. It‘s pretty shiesty all around...I guess that‘s a stereotypical lawyer, though. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 4y

25 likes1 stack add45 comments

Graywacke

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

Ok, starting, nervously. Act I was terrific anyway.
#shakespearereadalong

GingerAntics

44 likes

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

Who‘s ready for the Bard‘s great courtroom drama?! I don‘t think RGB is officially in it, but maybe we can find someone to cast her as.
⚖️ 👩‍⚖️
Discussion starts Sunday!!!
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong
@merelybookish @graywacke

mollyrotondo I‘m excited! 4y

See All 14 Comments

Riveted_Reader_Melissa We need a courtroom to sort out that last play! 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 🤣😂🤣 It doesn‘t look like the Supreme Court has taken up the Titus Andronicus case, but I don‘t see why we couldn‘t do it on our own. @Texreader is a lawyer. I bet she should help us!!! 4y

TheBookHippie @GingerAntics I‘m for that !!! 4y

TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 🤣 4y

catebutler I‘m looking forward to this! 👏🏼 4y

GingerAntics @catebutler Merchant of Venice or our trial of Titus Andronicus? 🤣😂🤣 4y

Texreader 🤣🤣 Not with Shakespeare! I had no idea this was a legal drama! 4y

GingerAntics @Texreader yeah, the vast majority, if not the whole thing, is in a court room going between a couple different cases. It‘s like Shakespearean Law and Order or something. 🤣😂🤣 So you‘re not current on your Elizabethan law? Too bad. 🤣😂🤣 Those legal texts must be amazingly mind numbing. There is enough Latin in modern ones as it is. Then again, I hear British lawyers still have to study Magna Carta. I can‘t even imagine. 4y

Jess_Read_This Thanks for the tag! I‘ve just downloaded it on Serial Reader and plan on using it to keep me on schedule for discussion. ☺️ 4y

Graywacke Thanks for the reminder. (Apparently my math with dates is no so good.) 4y

Gezemice I have read this last year and I will have to re-visit... 4y

21 likes14 comments

GingerAntics

Merchant of Venice (Turtleback School & Library, Updated) | William Shakespeare

Our next play is The Merchant of Venice. Brace yourselves for outlandish characters and some antisemitism. Let me know if anyone needs to be added or removed from the list.
#Shakespeare #MerchantOfVenice #shakespearereadalong
@merelybookish @graywacke

TheBookHippie I‘m in! 4y

See All 29 Comments

MoonWitch94 Wahoo! 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Hoboy! 🙄. Thanks for the warning 😂 (edited) 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa the play is pretty good, as I recall (but I honestly don‘t remember much because we were reading a play a week so it‘s all a blur), there is just this elephant in the room that certainly deserves some discussion. I think it‘s a good way to open up a discussion about the subtle and not so subtle ways bias plays a roll in daily life. 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa are you Jewish, too? 4y

Lcsmcat I‘m in. 4y

Graywacke Considering how our Moor was just treated, I don‘t feel justified complaining about antisemitism now. But I‘m sensitive to it and have wondered what awful thing was here. I haven‘t read it before. 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke I‘m pretty sure there is nothing as bad as what they did to Aaron. 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics No, I just find some of the prejudices in these older stories so glaring. You want to think prejudice was something newer/newish, and that maybe it didn‘t exist back in history when people were more geographically distanced, but then you read Shakespeare and realize, nope, it‘s always been these since the beginning and we haven‘t managed to get over it yet. 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa oh no, I‘m willing to bet that prejudice has existed about 5 minutes less than human beings have existed. 4y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @GingerAntics I think you‘re right, the whole Us verses Them is baked right into the human DNA, which is depressing. You‘d think we‘d start evolving soon. 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa right? Then again, modern man is only what 200,000 years old, and it takes millions of years to evolve? Perhaps we‘re in the process, since we are now able to see it for what it is and choose to reject prejudice. 4y

GingerAntics @Riveted_Reader_Melissa it may have also served a survival roll at some point. I feed us, not them. We survive, not them. They‘ll eat us if we don‘t run and hide. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Once we started building cities and creating societies, it wasn‘t necessary anymore, but we were hard wired to believe we still needed it to survive, so we kept labelling. 4y

jewright I read this play in high school, but that was...gulp...like 20 years ago, so I‘m looking forward to a reread. Isn‘t the movie 10 Things I Hate about You loosely based on it too? 4y

erzascarletbookgasm I‘m in 😊. Another play I haven‘t read. 4y

GingerAntics @jewright 10 Things I Hate About You is Taming of the Shrew 4y

batsy I first read this as an abridged novelisation in school as a kid and it was the pound of flesh thing that stuck with me! (But that's nothing compared to the pies that were dished up in Titus 🥧) 4y

jewright @GingerAntics Yes, thank you! 4y

Melismatic I‘ll prob skip this go round since I read this not long ago but happy to follow along the discussion. 💪🏻🤗 4y

GingerAntics @batsy those pies were a real trip, weren‘t they? Yeah, the pound of flesh thing really stands out to me from the time I read it, too. All I remember is that and Patrick Stewart. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 4y

GingerAntics @jewright there are so many adaptations and “loosely based on” movies of Shakespeare plays, it‘s hard to keep them all straight. I wonder if there is a master list somewhere? 🤣😂🤣 4y

GingerAntics @Melismatic did you read it for a class? Please join the discussion. This play should bring out some good discussions. 🤞🏻 4y

Melismatic @GingerAntics no just got fun. Really enjoyed it tho - so many iconic lines! 4y

GingerAntics @Melismatic there are a lot of them in this one, aren‘t there? 4y

Graywacke @GingerAntics can you add @LitStephanie to the list? 4y

GingerAntics @Graywacke @LitStephanie added!!! 4y

LitStephanie @batsy, right?! 4y

26 likes2 stack adds29 comments

merelybookish

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here is the upcoming schedule:
? Antony & Cleopatra
?Love's Labour's Lost
?Titus Andronicus
?The Merchant of Venice
As usual, the #shakespearereadalong team went with a random "why not?" selection. ? It's a good mix of love, gore, and antisemitism. No history alas We will tackle a Henry again someday.?
Please join for one or all!
Our reading of A&C kicks off Sun (4/26) with @GingerAntics

GingerAntics Someday! 🤣 Am I supposed to be the one pushing for the Hanks? 😨 I hope not. 5y

merelybookish @Graywacke @batsy @Lcsmcat @jewright @erzascarletbookgasm @CoffeeNBooks @MoonWitch94 @readinginthedark @Jess_Read_This @IamIamIam @Trashcanman @melisma @Mtroiano @wanderinglynn @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @kathedron @saresmoore @Liz_M @readordierachel @ladyneverwhere @rabbitprincess @NeedsMoreBooks 5y

merelybookish @TheBookHippie @catebutler @Balibee146 @IndoorDame @MrsMalaprop @Gezemice @Sace @teainthelibrary @Susannah @slategreyskies @Panic70 @Carolyn11215 @Kristy_K @Daisey @mollyrotondo @Sunraven @greenreads @mhillis @Wife @Linsy @MellieAntoinette 5y

See All 27 Comments

mollyrotondo So excited! 5y

TheBookHippie YAY!!!!! So excited ! 5y

merelybookish @GingerAntics Not me either. 🤷😆 5y

merelybookish @mollyrotondo @TheBookHippie 👏👏 5y

GingerAntics The Hanks really need to advocate for themselves. They‘re not going to have servants forever. 🙄 5y

Graywacke @merelybookish @GingerAntics i want to do hank... i mean at some point ☺️😁 5y

Graywacke ❤️ the selections. Feels like we‘re in the Roman section. Might have to include Coriolanus in the next round. 5y

merelybookish @Graywacke and The Gentlemen of Verona. 5y

merelybookish @GingerAntics @Graywacke I did a class that was just dedicated to Shakespeare's history plays. And I remember really enjoying it. So maybe they work better as an intensive. 5y

batsy Thank you! 🙌🏽 I'm really looking forward to this selection. 5y

batsy @GingerAntics 😂 5y

jewright Sounds like a great list to me! I‘m watching the Globe‘s performance of Romeo and Juliet tonight. It‘s amazing! 5y

GingerAntics I second @Graywacke‘s motion for Coriolanus in the next round. 5y

GingerAntics @Graywacke 😂 I think it‘s that “at some point” feeling we‘ve all got. 5y

GingerAntics @merelybookish that could be a really good class. I think it probably would be better as an intensive. Maybe doing them all together, it‘s easier to feel the flow of the history and get into the continuity of them? 5y

Gezemice Great selections! I have read the Merchant of Venice last year, and that should be an interesting discussion. It was in preparation for

The Serpent of Venice: A Novel

Gezemice @jewright That sounds great! 5y

Gezemice @Graywacke @jewright @GingerAntics @merelybookish I have found this amazing adaptation of Julius Caesar on Kanopy in my library‘s selection. It is a BBC TV movie from 2012 with a complete black cast, set in post-colonial Africa. Julius Caesar is cast as an African dictator and Brutus and Cassius are rebels who don‘t want a dictator. The acting is superb, I have watched Act I so far. It isincredible how versatile Shakespeare is! 5y

merelybookish @Gezemice oooh thanks for the recommendation! It is amazing all the ways Shakespeare can be adapted! I have Kanopy and will check it out! 5y

Graywacke @Gezemice there was a London performance like that. I only know this because someone recently told that it was so good, they started hunting down more Shakespeare performances in general, after seeing it. Thanks for recommending 5y

Gezemice @Graywacke It is based on that performance. Parts of the TV movie are from the show - the crowd parts. 5y

Gezemice @merelybookish Enjoy! 5y

batsy @Sace @Cuilin This is the order of plays we'll be reading so you have an idea of the next two after LLL! 5y

Sace @batsy thanks! Screenshot saved. Apparently I have not learned the art of paying attention while lurking. 5y

60 likes27 comments

Melismatic

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

Today was my first experience with the Merchant of Venice — I‘m surprised it‘s not performed more often! Racist interactions with Shylock notwithstanding, Portia is kind of a badass feminist (s)hero! 💃🏻💍

19 likes

Lcsmcat

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

I am with you on this one, Will. #music #quotsyjune19 @TK-421

GingerAntics 💙💙💙 I‘ve read this play. How on earth did I miss this wonderful quote?! (edited) 6y

45 likes1 comment

Lcsmcat

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

#sweet #quotsymay19 @TK-421

39 likes1 stack add

EmilieGR

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

pick

One of my favorites

1 like

wanderinglynn

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

Thanks @merelybookish for sharing this fun quiz! I got Lorenzo.

Which Shakespeare Character are you?
https://www.wqxr.org/story/quiz-which-shakespeare-character-are-you/

LiteraryinPA I am Puck! 6y

zezeki I got Lorenzo as well! 6y

wanderinglynn @LiteraryinLititz very cool. I love Midsummer‘s Night Dream.👍🏻 6y

wanderinglynn @zezeki 🙌🏻 6y

64 likes4 comments

jmtrivera

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

The first thing I think of when I hear #Moneylender is this play. Not one of my favorites but I saw a really good production of it a long time ago (that's the publicity image from that production on the left). #SpringIntoReading

21 likes

Eggs

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

My favorite #moneylender story. #springintoreading
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @vkois88

65 likes

MirrorMask

The Merchant of Venice | Shakespeare William

#Gold @TK-421 #QuotsyOct18

GingerAntics Love this quote!!! 6y

74 likes1 stack add1 comment

margreads

Merchant of Venice | William Shakespeare

Watching the Pop-up Globe performance of Merchant of Venice. We are groundings this afternoon (#ohmyback) but have seats for the other two performances we are seeing

#weekendinsydney

LeeRHarry Such a great company! Loved Much Ado! Enjoy! 😊 6y

margreads @LeeRHarry we saw much ado last year!! So good!! 6y

Adriannagab I would loooove to see it one day😍😍😍 enjoy it looks amazing ! 6y

margreads @Adriannagab it was amazing! 6y

18 likes4 comments