"The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare: Bassanio, a swell Venetian lad, is in love with Portia, a rich heiress from Belmont, Italy. While Bassanio is confident Portia likes him, he's a bit down on his luck and doesn't have the funds needed to compete with her other admirers. His buddy Antonio, the merchant of the title, is more than willing to lend him the money; the only problem is all of Antonio's cash is tied up with several shipping ventures. Being the true-blue pal he is, though, Antonio offers to bankroll Bassanio's journey to woo Portia by procuring a loan from Shylock, one of Venice's most despicable moneylenders. The gesture is all the more impressive considering Antonio and Shylock despise each other.
Despite his intense hatred for Antonio, Shylock agrees to lend him the money on one unique condition. If Antonio fails to pay back the loan within three months, he must forfeit a pound of his own flesh, to be cut off and taken from whatever part of the body Shylock chooses. Oddly enough, those were the same conditions of my college loans. It still hurts to sit down. Relax, I'm just kidding. I didn't go to college. And there really isn't an extra pound of flesh anywhere on my body. I'm frail. But I reckon you could get a few pounds out of my liver. Whiskey, you're the devil. Anyway, Antonio agrees to the barbaric stipulation, confident his various ships will come in well before the three-month deadline.
With his money in hand, Bassanio happily embarks on his mission to win the fair Portia. His friends Gratiano and Lorenzo accompany him, each finding loves of their own. Lorenzo elopes to Belmont with Shylock's daughter Jessica, who deeply resents her father's dastardly ways, and Gratiano falls for Portia's maid, Nerissa. That just leaves one match to be made. Unfortunately, even though Portia is quite fond of Bassanio and would like to marry him, she has no say in the matter. Her father, since deceased, devised a unique kind of lottery to determine Portia's future husband. He set out three chests, one of gold, one of silver, and one of lead. Inside one of the chests is a portrait of Portia. Find the portrait, claim the girl. However, if you choose the wrong chest, you not only lose out on Portia, but you must vow never to marry anyone. Ever. That last little caveat sends most suitors scurrying without even risking a guess. Ah, but Bassanio is in love. And men in love do brash, bold things. Why, I even know someone who started reading Shakespeare just to impress a girl he sees for maybe one minute each week. What an idiot. But I digress.
Bassanio chooses wisely and wins the day, marrying Portia and paving the way for Gratiano to wed Nerissa. Just when things are all puppet shows and candy canes, word reaches Bassanio that Antonio had to forfeit on his loan. It seems all of Antonio's ships were wrecked at sea. Shylock is taking him to court, demanding his rightful pound of flesh. No time for love, Dr. Jones. Bassanio and Gratiano leave their blushing brides behind and rush back to Venice to try and save their friend. But why send a man to do a woman's job? Portia plans a rescue of her own, setting the stage for a climactic court scene, some memorable dialogue, and an ingenious solution to an otherwise confounding problem.
While Shylock is clearly the villain of the piece, it's kind of hard not to sympathize with him. Sure, he's a miserly, bitter old coot, but he's only responding to the vicious world around him. Shylock suffers untold religious persecution at the hands of Antonio, and just about everyone in the play, for being a Jew. Years of discrimination have hardened Shylock's heart. Basically, he's mad as hell, and he's not going to take it anymore. His vindictive treatment of Antonio is a means to finally exact a measure of revenge from his tormentors. Shylock defends his position against Antonio with a marvelous speech in which he says Jews are the equal to Christians, delivering the legendary line, "If you prick us, do we not bleed?" (Act III, scene I).
Then again, Shylock isn't exactly an innocent victim, either. He's hardly a loving father. When he discovers that Jessica has eloped and took some money and jewels with her, he alternates between bemoaning the loss of his daughter and the loss of his precious gems. Later, he even goes so far as to say he'd rather have his daughter dead at his feet with the diamonds in her ears than have her alive and the diamonds in her coffin. Oh well, there goes that Father-of-the-Year award.
Shylock is portrayed as the stereotypical greedy Jew. Shakespeare's disdain for the Jewish faith is painfully apparent. In the end, when the tables get turned on Shylock, he's forced to denounce his faith and convert to Christianity. Not exactly a subtle message. It all makes for some awkward reading.
If you can get past the rampant antisemitism, there's actually a lot of good stuff here. The whole pound-of-flesh idea is remarkable and has become a fixture in any modern discussions of revenge. The decision on which chest to choose helped popularize the sentiment of all that glitters is not gold. And Portia gives a courtroom address regarding mercy that ranks right up there with the memorable soliloquies from "Hamlet," "Macbeth," and "Othello." Here's a brief taste...
"The quality of mercy is not strain'd;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes."
(Act IV, scene I)
It's also worth noting that it was quoted in my story "Honest John Takes a Wife" and in "Cheers" episode No. 75, "Diane's Nightmare." Aw, you knew I had to work a classic TV reference in somewhere.
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If you'd like to learn more about Edward de Vere and the truth about Shakespeare, here are a few links to get you started...
Shakespeare Oxford Society Home Page
The Shakespeare Authorship Studies Conference: Who Was Edward de Vere?