Unabridged (Arkangel complete Shakespeare)

Shakespeare, William

ISBN 10: 0140867708 ISBN 13: 9780140867701

Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks, 1998

Synopsis

A pound of flesh is a lot to ask for an unpaid loan -- even a substantial one. But that is Shylock's price. Antonio, the merchant of Venice, fully expects to repay the debt incurred for his friend Bassanio. But when he can't, it is Bassanio's beloved Portia who saves the day in this romantic but often disturbing comedy. The cast includes Haydn Gwynne (Portia), Bill Nighy (Antonio), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Bassanio), and Trevor Peacock (Shylock).

About this title

Review:

"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?" Shylock's impassioned plea in the middle of The Merchant of Venice is one of its most dramatic moments. After the Holocaust, the play has become a battleground for those who argue that the play represents Shakespeare's ultimate statement against ignorance and anti-Semitism in favour of a liberal vision of tolerance and multiculturalism. Other critics have pointed out that the play is, after all, a comedy that ultimately pokes fun at a 16th-century Jew. In fact, the bare outline of the plot suggests that the play is far more complex than either of these characterisations. Bassanio, a feckless young Venetian, asks his wealthy friend, the merchant Antonio, for money to finance a trip to woo the beautiful Portia in Belmont. Reluctant to refuse his friend (to whom he professes intense love), Antonio borrows the money from the Jewish moneylender. If he reneges on the deal, Shylock jokingly demands a pound of his flesh. When all Antonio's ships are lost at sea, Shylock calls in his debt, and the love and laughter of the first scenes of the play threaten to give way to death and tragedy. The final climactic courtroom scene, complete with a cross-dressed Portia, a knife-wielding Shylock, and the debate on "the quality of mercy" is one of the great dramatic moments in Shakespeare. The controversial subject matter of the play ensures that it continues to repel, divide but also fascinate its many audiences. --Jerry Brotton

Review:

'The introduction and commentary reveal an author with a lively awareness of the importance of perceiving the play as a theatrical document, one which comes to life, which is completed only in performance ...' --The Review of English Studies

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0140867708
• ISBN 13: 9780140867701
• Binding: Audio Cassette