#48 The Merchant of Venice

This is the second Shakespeare I have seen gratis thanks to the Montana Shakespeare Company.  Unfortunately it is one of the more ambivalent plays by Shakespeare.  I've never really been a fan of The Merchant of Venice, and reading it first and then watching this production only reaffirmed my attitude towards this play.  Am I the only one that tries to sympathize with Shylock and his treatment?  Does anyone else want to see him carve a chunk from the Jew-spitting and kicking Antonio?

Reading Harold Bloom, apparently this play is nearly impossible to perform in the way Shakespeare had intended in 16th century England except in Nazi Germany and Japan.  Bloom resigns himself to admitting that this is one of the moments when Shakespeare was writing in his own time.

Despite the play itself, it was a nice night out.  Performed in the lawn of Chico Hot Springs in Paradise Valley, Montana.  I'm glad I went for the outdoor experience alone.  A small stage next to a hot spring spa hedged in between to jagged and amazing mountain ranges.  Hopefully next summer they choose a better play.  I don't think many people laughed during this play, at least not like they did for Much Ado About Nothing, which I saw about a month ago.