Shailendra Kumar

Merchant of Venice isn't one of the plays that one can simply overlook. In its external simplicity, it encapsulates dilemmas inextricable to the human condition, yet most interestingly however, the purpose of its creation remains the biggest unknown till date. Also, one of the common misconception about the play, the titular merchant is actually not Shylock! It's Antonio, how does that change things up? Personally, I view this to be a great play because it really does force us to question why it was written, especially in a time where Jews were hated- why did Shakespeare write something so provocative? In a time where Christianity was revered and deemed to be perfect, in Elizabethan England, by presenting a Jewish antagonist (a typical act, see Marlowe's A Jew of Malta), in humanising him, Shakespeare not only decimates some of the archetypal Jewish tropes but allows universal audiences to view the universality of the human experience. I really enjoyed reading this and the multiple interpretations which are offered by different critics are really good to read, but should only complement your reading/learning of this text. You should definitely be questioning who is right and who is wrong at every turn and then questioning yourself for why you made that decision and would Shakespeare's audience make the decision differently? What has been the catalyst for this change in worldviews? A couple of critics that I personally found to be great accompaniments to this text: - Shylock is content: John Mahon - The Rival Lovers in the Merchant of Venice - The Merchant of Venice and the Gentle Bond Really enjoyed reading this play and would recommend it to anyone :) Thank you for your feedback!