Shylock (aka The Merchant)

The problem of how to deal with the "Jew that Shakespeare drew" in THE MERCHANT OF VENICE is of utmost importance when today's critics and directors take on this very enigmatic Shakespearean play. Wesker is the first important playwright to deal with the problem of the story's anti-Semitism. He's based the play more on the legends and stories that were Shakespeare's sources than his play itself— and come up with a totally new and strikingly original variant on the familiar tale.