The Globe’s interpretation of The Merchant of Venice is the second of three productions of this
play I’ll be seeing this year, having already enjoyed the Almeida’s revival of
Rupert Goold’s 2011 RSC take on the play which moved the action to a Las Vegas
casino and with the RSC’s current production still on my to-watch list. The
Almeida’s production was incredibly innovative in interpreting the play, which
has to be one of my favourites of Shakespeare’s works, so I was both nervous
and excited for Jonathan Munby’s offering.
I needn’t have worried. One of my friends often describes Merchant as being an “anti-human” play,
with the moral ambiguities of all the characters being ever-present as the
action unfolds. This production very much followed those lines of thought. Dominic
Mafham’s Antonio is violent towards Shylock. The scene where the bond is
initially agreed upon is a prime example, with Antonio resorting to physical
violence after very little provocation. His final conditions for Shylock to
turn Christian and leave all his wealth to Jessica and Lorenzo are delivered
almost gleefully, taking pleasure in Shylock’s obvious distress. Opposite
Jonathan Pryce’s Shylock, who appears almost pushed into his decision to
extract the bond after finally reaching his limit with the cruelties of the
Christians, this contrast is even more striking. Yet Antonio is shown as
sympathetic in places too. His unrequited love for Antonio remains ever in the
subtext of the play. Finally, it is made explicit after the court scene. Antonio
and Bassiano hug in celebration of their victory over Shylock and how Antonio’s
life was spared. Antonio leans in for a kiss, Bassiano pulls away. It was a
powerful moment, reminding the audience just how much Antonio was prepared to
do for love of his friend with little chance of ever gaining reciprocation.
The highlight for me, though, was undoubtedly Phoebe Pryce’s
portrayal of Jessica. Her struggle to transfer from Jewish to Christian society
was constantly highlighted in her scenes. Having Jessica and Shylock deliver
some lines to each other in Yiddish, for example, helped highlight the Jewish
heritage that she was having to discard for Lorenzo’s sake. Throughout the
second act, we see her gradually start to mimic the behaviour of the other
Christian ladies, although going by her obvious jealousy of Portia, this
appears to have been more influenced by her insecurities in her relationship
with Lorenzo. One particularly beautiful moment for me was the end of the play.
Instead of focusing on the Christian lovers at the end of the play, as usually
happens, Munby chooses to make Jessica the centre of attention. She is the one
handed the letter detailing Shylock’s ultimate fate, sinking to the floor and
beginning to sing in Yiddish as the full implications of what Shylock’s future
will be begin to sink in. Gradually, her singing is supplanted by the
traditional Latin chant and stately music of a Catholic service. Shylock parades
in, followed by a line of Catholic clergy, and baptised on stage. It was a
moving end to one of the most interesting and beautifully done adaptations of Shakespeare
I’ve seen recently.
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