Written in 1596,
Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice
is generally classified as one of his comedies, along with masterpieces such as
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing. While there certainly are comedic elements
to Merchant, it is not altogether a
comedic play in the definition generally used to classify Shakespeare’s work.
While it does encompass many scenes of focused around the idea of love, the
titular merchant is accosted by Shylock, a money-lender, because he defaulted
on the loan of 3,000 ducats and is thus required to pay the bond – the infamous
pound of flesh.
It’s a dark play,
full of politicking and financial matters, but underneath it all is that
wonderful Shakespearean sense of humanity and life, the very lifeblood that has
made him and his works what they are today. In the hands of the Sydney Shakespeare Company,
their Merchant
of Venice is a clear, honest and simple telling of this problematic
play, one which fills the tiny sixty-five-seat TAP Gallery theatre with a warmth
and generosity of spirit which is often lost in the hands of others.
