Book #19 - The Merchant of Venice

[janetlin]

I love all the women in this play! How often can that be said of Shakespeare? Portia is kickarse (I like her much better than Katherine. Possibly more than even Beatrice. I'd need to read Much Ado About Nothing again). Come to think of it, I wonder when this was written, in relation to Much Ado; if Portia was sort of a proto-Beatrice or vice-versa. Hmm, Wiki says right round about the same time. No help there.

We started to watch the film version with Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons in class, which I _must_ find and rent now. The court scene must be fantastic.

Title: The Merchant of Venice
Author: William Shakespeare
Pages: 203

19 / 50 (38.0%)

Okay, I know the official challenge is fifty books, but I'm very unlikely to get there by the end of the year, so I think I'll start using the tickers based on my personal goal of 24 (which I am, actually, likely to meet and even exceed. Never thought I'd be so glad of all the reading I must do as an English major). So here:

19 / 24 (79.2%)

Woo, doesn't that look nice?

Comments

[mermaidrain.livejournal.com]

I LOVE "Merchant of Venice" (definitely one for the women) and I've been dying to see the Al Pacino version for a while now. Must move that up my queue in Netflix.

[janetlin.livejournal.com]

Even the secondary characters of Nerissa and Jessica are cool, is what really shocked me.

[mermaidrain.livejournal.com]

LOL! Yup. And then there's that great speech by Shylock. Used to great affect in "the Pianist" as well as other films and plays and such.

[janetlin.livejournal.com]

The "hath not a Jew..."? I think the first time I heard that was from Mel Gibson's character in The Man Without A Face.

[mermaidrain.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's the one. "Do we not bleed?" OFTEN quoted speech.

[allova.livejournal.com]

I love Portia and Nerissa, but I don't really like Jessica. I recently wrote an essay on "Shakespeare's Witty Women" which compared and contrasted the characters of Portia, Katherine, Beatrice and Adriana (from "The Comedy of Errors")

[janetlin.livejournal.com]

I remember you mentioning that back when I posted about having read Taming of the Shrew.

I like Jessica because she actually has some character and *gasp* _lines_, which could just as easily have been omitted or overlooked (like Hippolyta back in A Midsummer Night's Dream). And she was _smart_ about eloping (though doing so meant she stole from her father. But we don't like him anyway), and we actually got to see it (which again, could and probably normally would have been just glossed over). It just felt like Shakespeare actually bothered to think about her, instead of just writing "blah blah, random female love interest to provide the requisite third wedding."

[elven-alchemist.livejournal.com]

Why do I keep reading "Nerissa" as "Necrissa"?
Sorry for off-top.

[janetlin.livejournal.com]

... Possibly trying to turn it into Narcissa, and only getting halfway there?

[elven-alchemist.livejournal.com]

Could be that one too;-)
But actually Necrissa is allova's NPC character in Ravenholme, quite a deadly creature;-)
I wonder if they are planning Ravenholme games for the time when you are in NZ, I think you would like it...
(yes, allova, that was a HINT;-)))))))))

[janetlin.livejournal.com]

Heh. Dunno about Ravenholme, but I know there's Alan's Victoriana game. And I'm not sure I could fit two costumes and enough clothes for myself for ten days into whatever baggage allowance Air NZ has.

[elven-alchemist.livejournal.com]

I know there's Alan's Victoriana game

Yeah, I've heard about that one too;-)

[janetlin.livejournal.com]

He says he's roped you into it, even.

[elven-alchemist.livejournal.com]

*giggle* Yup, that'll be my first GMing experience, if only Stargate doesn't happen to happen before that, in which case it will be the first as I was recruited there as well... But I don't think it will, especially minding Alan recruited on of the Stargate GMs to New Bretanica as well;-)))

[janetlin.livejournal.com]

Heh, he's sneaky that way.

[allova.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, we'd let you wear the same costume twice! Though I don't reckon we'll be running a Ravenholme game then, alas.

[janetlin.livejournal.com]

No, not so close on the heels of one in November. One of these days I'll be down there for one, though, I'm sure.

[allova.livejournal.com]

Don't worry - when I reread the play after Ravenholme, I kept reading Necrissa too.

[cat-i-th-adage.livejournal.com]

There's a character more awesome than Beatrice? I guess I have to check the play out, then.

[allova.livejournal.com]

Beatrice is lovely and witty, but Portia is book-smart and sneaky.

[janetlin.livejournal.com]

Almost to the point of being a Mary Sue, as she's beautiful (men come from far and wide to try to court her) and rich.

[elven-alchemist.livejournal.com]

Sounds interesting, I've heard of this play but never read, may want to correct this;-)