Contemporary Audiences and the Infamous ‘Pound of Flesh’ in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice

Abstract

In approaching Merchant as a new play and focusing solely on the language of the piece, surprised by the frequency of betting as an action throughout the course of the play. Stephen Greenblatt wrote in Shakespeare's Leap 5 an article which appeared in the New York Times Magazine, that the climate was healthy enough for an anti-Semitic play. Perhaps the history of this particular play's productions defeats us all: the main feature on the Boston production was written not by the usual Arts critics, but by the religious reporter for the Boston Globe. Antonio does not see him but does feel his presence, and the still and silent Antonio (before he eventually leaves Belmont and the stage) as Shylock's gold lands on the scales and the table, is the last glimmer of the world of Merchant before the lights come down. Keywords:Antonio; arts critics; merchant; play; religious; Shakespeare's; Shylock's