The Merchant of Venice

The wealthy merchant Antonio wants to help his friend, the shifty nobleman Bassanio, win the hand of the beautiful Portia and gives him money for this purpose, even though all his fortune is at sea. The hated Jew Shylock is approached as a lender and seizes the opportunity to defy his adversary Antonio and, with him, all of Christendom that condemns him: He demands not interest, but a pound of flesh "first from the heart" from Antonio's body should he be unable to repay the loan. As expected, Antonio's fleet is lost, and the promissory note becomes due.

Meanwhile, Bassanio has solved the riddle that promised Portia's heart and hand. He has chosen the simplest of three caskets and found his beloved's portrait within. Unlike his eccentric rivals, he has been guided by his heart rather than vanity. The joy of the young couple's happiness is overshadowed because it threatens to be built upon Antonio's downfall. A trial ensues. Shylock, whose only daughter has been kidnapped along with a large sum of money, insists on his rights. He knows that Venetian law is on his side, a law that grants all citizens equal property rights and forms the basis of an already fragile state.

The Doge cannot decide the case until an ominous legal scholar appears (none other than Portia in disguise) and, with a Solomon-like judgment, saves Antonio's life. In a surprising happy ending, not only do several couples find love, but most of Antonio's ships also reach port safely. Antonio and his dark twin in suffering, Shylock, are left alone. They cannot become friends.

What's funny about that? A comedy is a tragedy without corpses. Only by this definition can "The Merchant of Venice" be called a comedy. Shakespeare lets us experience, as impressively as only in his history plays, how social existence shapes consciousness. A small state that sees itself as a bastion of humanism is threatened with collapse under its own rules. The Shakespeare Company Berlin sees compelling parallels to contemporary Europe and ventures deep into the political arena.

Using their tried-and-tested methods of rapid transformation, comedic, accessible performance, and music, they explore the complex relationship between individual rights and state rationality, and deliver a powerful plea for the grace that springs from love.