Shakespeare's Best: the Merchant of Venice

This comedy interweaves a tense narrative of love, friendship and revenge. In order to help his friend Bassanio propose, Antonio, a Venetian merchant, borrows money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, and makes a terrifying mortgage of a pound of flesh if he defaults. Shylock was resentful of the long-term discrimination against Christians and insisted on collecting debts after Antonio went bankrupt. Bassanio's fiancée Portia disguises herself as a man in court and defeats Shylock with a witty "mercy" and legal explanation. The script simultaneously shows romantic love and sharp social and religious conflicts, triggering profound thoughts on justice, tolerance and revenge.