In the shadow of the European Holocaust, Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" has at its center a troubling portrayal of a Jewish man, Shylock. Like Shakespeare's romantic comedy, "The Taming of the Shrew," social changes and historical events have altered the audience's view and as result, societies alter the interpretation to their own current values.
The merchant in question, Antonio, is a bit of a gambler. All of his fortunes are in ships on the sea. Yet when his good friend, Bassanio, needs a loan to court a wealthy orphan, Portia, Antonio seeks out a man he has publicly reviled (talk about chutzpah) and now asks for a loan. Shylock first requests only Antonio's friendship—offering the loan without interest, but when Antonio refuses that, Shylock then asks for a pound of flesh should Antonio default on the loan. As Bassanio leaves, so does Shylock's daughter, eloping with Lorenzo and taking most of Shylock's fortune on Bassanio's ship as he sails to court Portia.
Portia is bound by her father's will to marry the man who figures out the puzzle of three boxes. Bassanio unravels the mystery, but as the couple begins to celebrate he learns that Antonio, his ships lost at sea, has been unable to repay the loan. Although Antonio returns with more than enough to repay Shylock, Shylock demands the letter of the law. The case is brought before the Duke of Venice where Portia, disguised as a young lawyer, interprets the law, giving Shylock the opportunity to forgive the loan at a handsome profit. When Shylock insists on justice, Portia reveals he has actually lost everything according to other laws.
Historically, Shylock has been played as a dastardly character. Consider the laws that barred Jews like African Americans from being witnesses against white Caucasians and the anti-Semitic rhetoric that prevented more Jews from fleeing Europe under both the Russian oppression and the threat of Nazi Germany.
Director Michael Radford can't entirely avoid accusations of anti-Semitism in his movie, but he has skillfully balanced the portrayal of Jews in a Christian society, informing the modern audience of oppressive circumstances under which Jews lived in Venice of that time period as well as showing a mournful parallelism between a pious Christian and a dogmatic Jew.
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