The Merchant of Venice

Published Monday 18 February 2008 at 10:45 by Barbara Lewis

Three thousand ducats or a pound of flesh - Shylock the Jew’s grim bond has entered the English language as the archetypal heavy price and opened up a debate as to whether Shakespeare was anti-Semitic.

A likely explanation is that the playwright was drawn by the high drama of so potent a bargain, more than by a wish to condemn the character that struck it.

Equally, Bruce Jamieson, Greenwich Playhouse’s resident director, seeks to extract every ounce of tension from the situation before allowing us to relax into an ending of warm-hearted, teasing fun.

A careful edit and assured acting have the play humming along until we find ourselves in the courtroom, with the gallant merchant Antonio (Gabriel Butler-Lewis) roped up and chest bared, ready to receive Shylock’s knife.

Anyone who thinks Shakespeare was guilty of ganging up on Jews, might take comfort from his feminist credentials as it is the sharp, female mind of Portia, fetchingly disguised as a man, that finds a life-saving loophole in Shylock’s usury contract.

Played by Stephanie Thomas, Portia is clear, poised and playful, yet commanding - and a polar opposite of the mysterious Shylock, who’s given depth and pathos by veteran actor Al Fiorentini.