The Merchant of Venice April 5, 2007

'The Merchant of Venice' is one of Shakespeare's most fascinating plays, a dense mixture of romance, comedy, and tragedy revolving around anti-Semitism in 16th-century Venice. Al Pacino's artistry as an actor is given full vent in his shattering portrayal of Shylock, one of Shakespeare's most humanized villains, a man with valid reasons for anger and vengeance.