The Merchant of Venice

Plot Summary

Antonio, the merchant of Venice, lends three thousand ducats to his friend Bassanio in order to assist him in his wooing of the wealthy and beautiful Portia of Belmont, an estate some distance from Venice. But Antonio's own money is tied up in business ventures that depend on the safe return of his ships from sea, so he borrows the money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender whom he has previously insulted for his high rates of interest. Shylock lends the money against a bond whereby failure to repay the loan on the agreed date will entitle Shylock to a pound of Antonio's flesh. Portia's father has decreed that she will marry whichever suitor makes the correct choice when presented with three caskets, made of gold, silver and lead. Where wealthy suitors from Morocco and Aragon fail, Bassanio succeeds by choosing lead. His friend Gratiano marries Portia's lady-in-waiting Nerissa at the same time. News arrives that Antonio's ships have been lost; he is unable to pay his debt. Shylock's claim to his pound of flesh is heard in the law court before the duke.

Unknown to their husbands, Portia disguises herself as a young male lawyer acting on behalf of Antonio, Nerissa as a clerk. Portia's ingenious defence is that Shylock is entitled to his pound of flesh but not to spill any of Antonio's blood; she argues that the Jew should forfeit his life for having conspired against the life of a Venetian. The duke pardons Shylock on condition that he gives half his wealth to Antonio and half to the state. Antonio surrenders his claim on condition that Shylock converts to Christianity and leaves his property to his daughter Jessica, whom he has disinherited for running away with her Christian lover Lorenzo. Portia and Nerissa then assert their power over Bassanio and Gratiano by means of a trick involving rings that the men have promised never to part with. Finally there is good news about Antonio's ships.

RSC Staging History 1960-2007

1960 RST: Michael Langham
Desmond Heeley (design); Maurice Daniels (lighting); Cedric Thorpe Davie (music)

Peter O'Toole (Shylock), Dorothy Tutin (Portia), Patrick Allen (Antonio), Denholm Elliott (Bassanio), Frances Cuka (Jessica), Ian Holm (Lorenzo), Susan Maryott (Nerissa), Dinsdale Landen (Launcelot Gobbo), Patrick Wymark (Gratiano), David Buck (Solanio), David Sumner (Salerio), William Wallis (Balthasar), Tony Church (Duke of Venice), Clive Swift (Tubal), Jack MacGowran (Old Gobbo), Don Webster (Leonardo), Ian Richardson (Prince of Arragon), Paul Hardwick (Prince of Morocco), Clifford Rose (Stephano), Diana Rigg (Lady), Roy Dotrice, Philip Voss (Servants)

1965 RST: Clifford Williams
Ralph Koltai (sets), Nadine Baylis (costumes); John Bradley (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

Eric Porter (Shylock), Janet Suzman (Portia), William Squire (Antonio), Peter McEnery (Bassanio), Katharine Barker (Jessica), Charles Thomas (Lorenzo), Patsy Byrne (Nerissa), Charles Kay (Launcelot Gobbo), Jeffery Dench (Gratiano), John Corvin (Solanio), Peter Geddis (Salerio), Tim Wylton (Balthasar), David Waller (Duke of Venice), Timothy West (Tubal), Stephen Hancock (Old Gobbo), David Quilter (Leonardo), Donald Burton (Prince of Arragon), Stanley Lebor (Prince of Morocco), Ted Valentine (Stephano), Michael Pennington (Servant)

1971 RST/1972 Tour/1972 Aldwych: Terry Hands
Timothy O'Brien, Tazeena Firth (design); John Bradley/Stewart Leviton (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

Emrys James (Shylock), Judi Dench/Susan Fleetwood (Portia), Tony Church (Antonio), Michael Williams/Bernard Lloyd (Bassanio), Alison Fiske (Jessica), David Calder (Lorenzo), Polly James/Lynn Dearth (Nerissa), Peter Geddis (Launcelot Gobbo), Geoffrey Hutchings/Roger Rees (Gratiano), Alton Kumalo/Kwesi Kay (Solanio), Anthony Pedley/Denis Holmes (Salerio), Michael Shannon (Balthasar), Peter Woodthorpe/Richard Mayes (Duke of Venice), Jeffery Dench/Colin Forbes (Tubal), Gordon Gostelow (Old Gobbo), Robert Ashby (Leonardo), Peter Woodthorpe (Prince of Arragon), Miles Anderson/Matthew Robertson (Salarino), Bernard Lloyd/Robert Ashby (Prince of Morocco)

1978 TOP/1979 Warehouse: John Barton
Christopher Morley (design); Leo Leibovici (lighting); James Walker (music)

Patrick Stewart (Shylock), Marjorie Bland/Lisa Harrow (Portia), David Bradley (Antonio), John Nettles (Bassanio), Avril Carson (Jessica), Paul Whitworth (Lorenzo), Diana Berriman (Nerissa), Hilton McRae (Launcelot Gobbo), John Bowe (Gratiano), Alan Cody (Solanio), James Griffiths (Salerio), Dennis Clinton (Balthasar/Duke of Venice), Raymond Westwell (Tubal/Old Gobbo), Dennis Edwards (Prince of Arragon), Donald Douglas (Prince of Morocco)

1981 RST/1981 Aldwych: John Barton
Christopher Morley (design); Brian Harris (lighting); James Walker (music)

David Suchet (Shylock), Sinead Cusack (Portia), Tom Wilkinson (Antonio), Jonathan Hyde (Bassanio), Judy Buxton (Jessica), Michael Siberry (Lorenzo), Corrina Seddon (Nerissa), Rob Edwards (Launcelot Gobbo), Arthur Kohn (Gratiano), John Darrell (Solanio), William Armstrong (Salerio), Brett Usher (Duke of Venice/Prince of Arragon), David Waller/Raymond Westwell (Tubal), Jimmy Gardner (Old Gobbo), Terry Wood (Prince of Morocco)

1984 RST: John Caird
Ultz (design); Robert Bryan (lighting); Ilona Sekacz (music)

Ian McDiarmid (Shylock), Frances Tomelty (Portia), Christopher Ravenscroft (Antonio), Adam Bareham (Bassanio), Amanda Root (Jessica), Simon Templeman (Lorenzo), Josette Simon (Nerissa), Brian Parr (Launcelot Gobbo), James Simmons (Gratiano), Ian Mackenzie (Solanio), Jim Hooper (Salerio), Stephen Simms (Balthasar), Richard Easton (Duke of Venice), Sebastian Shaw (Tubal), John Rogan (Old Gobbo), Martin Jacobs (Prince of Arragon), Hepburn Graham (Prince of Morocco), Jonathan Scott-Taylor (Clerk of Court)

1986-87 Small-scale Tour: Roger Michell
Di Seymour (design); Geraint Pughe (lighting); Jeremy Sams (music)

Nigel Terry (Shylock), Fiona Shaw (Portia), Paul Webster (Antonio), Simon Dutton (Bassanio), Rachel Joyce (Jessica), Paul Rhys (Lorenzo), Jacqueline Dankworth (Nerissa), Paul McCleary (Launcelot Gobbo), Martin Turner (Gratiano), William Chubb (Solanio), David Summer (Salerio), Rupert Holliday Evans (Balthasar), Norman Henry (Duke of Venice/Prince of Arragon), John Bowler (Tubal/Prince of Morocco), Dick Brannick (Old Gobbo)

1987 RST/1988 Barbican: Bill Alexander
Kit Surrey (sets), Andreane Neofitou (costumes); Robert Bryan (lighting); Guy Woolfenden (music)

Antony Sher (Shylock), Deborah Findlay (Portia), John Carlisle (Antonio), Nicholas Farrell (Bassanio), Deborah Goodman (Jessica), Paul Spence (Lorenzo), Pippa Guard (Nerissa), Phil Daniels (Launcelot Gobbo), Geoffrey Freshwater (Gratiano), Gregory Doran (Solanio), Michael Cadman (Salerio), Akim Mogaji (Balthasar), Richard Conway (Duke of Venice/Prince of Arragon), Bill McGuirk (Tubal), Arnold Yarrow (Old Gobbo), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Prince of Morocco), David Pullan (Leonardo), Kate Littlewood (Citizen)

1993 RST/1994 Barbican: David Thacker
Shelagh Keegan (design); Clive Morris (lighting); Gary Yershon (music).

David Calder (Shylock), Penny Downie (Portia), Clifford Rose (Antonio), Owen Teale (Bassanio), Kate Duchene (Jessica), Mark Lewis Jones (Lorenzo), Debra Gillett (Nerissa), Christopher Luscombe (Launcelot Gobbo), Mark Lockyer (Gratiano), Tim Hudson (Solanio), Richard Clothier (Salerio), David Weston (Balthasar), Christopher Robbie (Duke of Venice), Nick Simons (Tubal), Raymond Bowers (Old Gobbo), Robert Portal (Prince of Arragon), Ray Fearon (Prince of Morocco)

1997-98 RST/1998-99 Barbican: Gregory Doran
Robert Jones (sets), Sue Willmington (costumes); Howard Harrison (lighting); Corin Buckeridge (music)

Philip Voss (Shylock), Helen Schlesinger (Portia), Julian Curry (Antonio), Scott Handy (Bassanio), Emma Handy (Jessica), Dominic Rowan (Lorenzo), Sian Reeves (Nerissa), Jimmy Chisholm (Launcelot Gobbo), John Dougal (Gratiano), Andrew Maud (Solanio), Andrew Ufondu (Salerio), Rowan MacCallum (Balthasar), Sandy MacNab (Duke of Venice), Griffith Jones (Tubal), Alan Stocks (Leonardo), Colin George (Prince of Arragon), Evroy Deer (Prince of Morocco), Giles Taylor (Clerk of Court), Lisa Reeves (Lady)

2001 Pit/2001-02 Swan/2002 Small-scale Tour: Loveday Ingram
Colin Falconer (design); Hartley Kemp (lighting); Paul Englishby (music)

Ian Bartholomew (Shylock), Hermione Gulliford (Portia), Ian Gelder (Antonio), Paul Hickey (Bassanio), Isabel Pollen (Jessica), Ben Turner (Lorenzo), Eliza Lumley (Nerissa), Darren Tunstall (Launcelot Gobbo), Dickon Tyrrell (Gratiano), Robert Mountford (Solanio), Jim Creighton (Salerio), Carl Ferguson (Balthasar), Michael Gardiner (Duke of Venice/Prince of Arragon), David Peart (Tubal/Old Gobbo), Chris Jarman (Prince of Morocco)