The Merchant of Venice

TheMerchantofVeniceisoneofShakespeare'smostpopularcomedies,butitremainsdeeplycontroversial.Thetextmaywellseemanti-Semitic;yetrepeatedly,inperformance,ithasrevealedacontrastingnature.Shylock,thoughvanquishedinthelaw-court,oftentriumphsinthetheatre.Heisacharactersointensethathecandominatetheplay,challengingabrasivelyitsromanticandlyricalaffirmations.