by
Joseph Pearce
Although I often like Sean Fitzpatrick’s literary articles, this is pure unadulterated drivel:
www.crisismagazine.com/2015/merchant-venice-shakespearean-insincerity
Mr. Fitzpatrick is merely echoing the Shylock-as-victim misreading of the play that is one of the most egregious cases of Shakespeare abuse imaginable. I do not have time to dissect the many errors in the article, not least of which is the casting of the saintly and wise Portia as a bigoted anti-semite, but would urge strongly that readers of the Christian Shakesepare buy my book Through Shakespeare’s Eyes: Seeing the Catholic Presence in the Plays in which I devote about half the book to discussing The Merchant of Venice, scene by scene. I would also urge you to buy the Ignatius Critical Edition of The Merchant of Venice (audio book version available here), which contains some superb critical essays, including a brilliant defence of Portia’s efforts to save Shylock by Daniel Lowenstein, a professor at the UCLA Law School, and an excellent essay by an economist on the way in which Shakespeare and his audience would have seen the practice of usury, i.e. in the light of the Church’s condemnation of it.
Although I often like Sean Fitzpatrick’s literary articles, this is pure unadulterated drivel:
www.crisismagazine.com/2015/merchant-venice-shakespearean-insincerity
Mr. Fitzpatrick is merely echoing the Shylock-as-victim misreading of the play that is one of the most egregious cases of Shakespeare abuse imaginable. I do not have time to dissect the many errors in the article, not least of which is the casting of the saintly and wise Portia as a bigoted anti-semite, but would urge strongly that readers of the Christian Shakesepare buy my book Through Shakespeare’s Eyes: Seeing the Catholic Presence in the Plays in which I devote about half the book to discussing The Merchant of Venice, scene by scene. I would also urge you to buy the Ignatius Critical Edition of The Merchant of Venice (audio book version available here), which contains some superb critical essays, including a brilliant defence of Portia’s efforts to save Shylock by Daniel Lowenstein, a professor at the UCLA Law School, and an excellent essay by an economist on the way in which Shakespeare and his audience would have seen the practice of usury, i.e. in the light of the Church’s condemnation of it.
