Last month in New York, a group of seven lawyers met to hear the appeal case for Shylock from the Merchant of Venice.

In the play, Antonio agrees to become the guarantor for a loan from the Jewish moneylender, Shylock. The agreement is that if the money is not repaid, Shylock will be allowed to take a pound of Antonio’s flesh.

After Antonio defaults on the loan, the court rules that Shylock may take the flesh as agreed – but “not one jot of blood.” Shylock concedes, only to be threatened with a death penalty for attempting to take the life of a Venetian citizen. He is pardoned on condition that he becomes a Christian, only accepts half the money due and bequeaths it to his daughter.

Shylock’s appeal was upheld, with five of the seven lawyers siding with the moneylender. They say that he was not guilty of a capital offence and should be entitled to full repayment.

Personally, I’m pleased that Shylock’s appeal was upheld because I’ve always felt that Shakespeare's treatment of him at the hands of the law was unjust. Although he may have been acting vindictively, he does go through the proper channels and settles for cash repayment when he realizes that his bond is unenforceable.

What do you think? Do you agree with the decision? Would you uphold Shylock’s appeal?

I read something this week that really unsettled me: “we will meet again at Philippi,” was a favorite phrase of Adolf Hitler.

He is said to have paraphrased Julius Caesar, apparently one of his favorite plays, when threatening his opponents. Reportedly, he would also quote the soothsayer’s warning to Caesar, “beware the ides of March,” and an uncovered sketchbook from 1926 reveals set designs for the play.

According to Hitler’s Private Library: The Books That Shaped His Life, a new book by Timothy W Ryback, Hitler owned a German translation of Shakespeare’s Collected Works and was well-versed in the Bard.

I can already imagine Hitler appreciating Shakespeare’s presentation of Shylock:

“Why was it, he wondered, the German Enlightenment produced Nathan the Wise, the story of the rabbi who reconciles Christians, Muslims and Jews, while it had been left to Shakespeare to give the world The Merchant of Venice and Shylock?”

I don’t know why this news unsettles me … but it does. Perhaps I find it eerie that, although my world view is polarized to Hitler’s, we’ve both been influenced by the same books. Does this news surprise you? Or have you long accepted the far-reaching influence of Shakespeare?

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My wife performed in Much Ado About Nothing last year at the Ancient Kourion Theatre in Cyprus. We were reminiscing about the evil Don John and his plan to ruin the marriage between Claudio and Hero.

I found myself arguing that Claudio s the real villain in the play: his love for Hero is shallow, fickle at best, and he’s happy to publicly humiliate her with only scant evidence of her infidelity.

Claudio’s shallowness turns my stomach! At least I can understand Don John’s motivations.

Although he’s undoubtedly a “plain-dealing villain”, I can’t help but sympathize with Don John. He’s a social outcast (for being a bastard) and has been defeated in battle by his own brother. This is a man who will never find peace – and we shouldn’t expect him to. As one of the few “real” characters in Much Ado About Nothing, he sees right through Claudio’s shallowness and understands the fickleness of his love for Hero.

I share Don John’s contempt for Claudio – which I guess makes me a Don John sympathizer. Perhaps not what Shakespeare intended?

In the good old days, when I was a drama lecturer at Stratford-upon-Avon College, I lived only a few streets away from Holy Trinity Church. Teetering on the bank of the River Avon, this picturesque church has since become a Mecca for Shakespeare enthusiasts. Shakespeare was baptized there in 1564 and buried there in 1616.

I was saddened to learn that this old, but beautiful building is only five years away from closure for health and safety reasons.

This cannot be allowed to happen! This building is an important part of our international history and our literary heritage. Beyond Shakespeare, I also have a personal connection with Holy Trinity: it’s where my good friends got married and where I became a Godfather to my Goddaughter.

Although a $2.5 million appeal has been launched to rescue the church, I think it is appalling that there are no public funds behind the project. Does Shakespeare really mean that little to us?

If you haven’t yet visited Shakespeare’s grave inside Holy Trinity, then this maybe your final window of opportunity to see Bard’s final resting place.

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