The Merchant of Venice: The Merchant of Menace
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"Shylock." The very name of Shakespeare\\u2019s infamous Venetian moneylender overshadows the plot of this complex and twisted comedy about love, marriage, and the importance of always reading the fine print in your credit card agreement. Is he an anti-Semitic caricature? A representation of vengeful legalism run amok, contrasted with the concept of mercy and grace? An anti-hero who deserves sympathy? The voice of one of Shakespeare\\u2019s most humanistic and moving speeches? In this episode with discussions of everything from The Sopranos to capital markets in the Mediterranean to critiques of the merchant Antonio\\u2019s moronic business practices, Will and James argue that the answer is \\u201call of the above.\\u201d // CREDITS // Intro Music: Jon Sayles, "The Witches\' Dance" (composed by anonymous); Outro Music: Jon Sayles, \\u201cSaltarello\\u201d (composed by anonymous); Illustrative Excerpts: \\u201cIn Camelot,\\u201d The Sopranos, dir. Steve Buscemi (2004); \\u201cThe Merchant of Venice,\\u201d dir. Michael Radford (2004)
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