I've been wanting to return to some considerations about Merchant of Venice, but I've been distracted by books, podcasts, and other Shakespeariana. But I'm trying to work my way back to that conversation.
Let's ease into it with a comic scene from the John Sichel's Merchant of Venice—which starred Laurence Olivier as Shylock.
There are very serious elements in the Olivier Merchant of Venice, but there are also moments that play up the fairytale elements of the play.
One of those is the second suitor. In Sichel's Merchant, the Prince of Arragon is marked as unsuitable not merely because of his arrogant attitude and (quite possibly) his greed but because he's old enough to be Portia's great-grandfather. I mentioned this back in 2008 (for which, q.v.), but I didn't have the technical wherewithal (or, perhaps, the time) to illustrate my comments with a clip from the film. But I can do that now!
Links: The Film at IMDB.
I find that to be a marvelous way of indicating that we don't need to worry about the casket game. The second suitor is hyperbolically unsuitable. And we know that he won't choose correctly—which, if we're thinking of that plot as fairtytalesque, we knew already.
But it also opens a small door to critique Portia's father's will. What if this doddering old man actually, through some Monty Hall random luck, had chosen correctly? It doesn't seem like Portia would have to wait very long until she's a widow, but still. Is the will a wise or a foolish document?
We'll return to Sichel's Merchant next time!
Links: The Film at IMDB.
Click below to purchase the film from amazon.com
(and to support Bardfilm as you do so).
(and to support Bardfilm as you do so).
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