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Many of the characters in Shakespeare’s plays offer a chance for the actor to play around and try different approaches but none so much as Shylock. The way in which this character is handled can affect not only the mood and tone of a production but also the out come. If the actor playing Shylock creates too much sympathy for his character the story goes awry and the heroes: Bassanio, Portia and Antonio almost become the villains. Some productions have eliminated the fifth act of the merchant of Venice entirely to solve this problem and make the story primarily Shylock’s. In this case one could argue that the Merchant in the title is actually Shylock and not Antonio. Unfortunately, this does not stay true to Shakespeare’s original vision for his play. It is important that the audience feel some sympathy for the character in order to connect to him; however he must remain the villain. Since The Merchant of Venice show first opened to the present day, this has been the......

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Approximate Word Count: 1727
Approximate Pages: 7 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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