YEAR 1939

This year we are performing the Merchant of Venice, as organised by a German officer, who wants “to make an extra contribution to Hitler’s final solution”. Anti-semitism seems to be the official policy of our extremely advanced nation, ideal for the anti-Semitism values present and upheld within the Merchant of Venice. Today Shakespeare seems to be the only playwright exempt from the official ban on enemy dramatists. I believe that his works are being extolled for the lessons they offer in patriotism, the need for strong leadership, and the overriding claims of the state.

In this performance, my character Shylock, properly understood, is cowardly and malicious, while in the trial scene both Antonio and his friends act with a selflessness that prove their true worth. To add to the overall dramatic effect of the rendition, scattered amongst the audience, are a number of people to shout and curse when Shylock enter’s stage left.