Now we come to what is perhaps the least known adaptation on this list, the 2004 production of The Merchant of Venice, starring Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, and Al Pacino. I’ve always found it bizarre that this is included among the Bard’s comedies given that there’s practically nothing funny about it except for the ending perhaps.
The plot involves a merchant named Antonio who takes a loan out from a rich man by the name of Shylock for his friend Bassanio, who needs the money in order to help him win the hand of Portia. Antonio and Shylock are not exactly the best of friends, so the money comes with a stipulation: if Antonio fails to pay back the money on time, Shylock gets a pound of his flesh. Disaster strikes as Antonio’s ships are lost at sea, and with them, any chance he has of paying back the debt. Shylock, overjoyed with the news, immediately demands his recompense. However, all is not lost as Antonio’s friends try their best to remedy the situation.
Sounds hilarious, right? Well, it isn’t. This is a dramatically powerful play that shows the very depth of friendship. The courtroom scenes are nothing short of riveting. I’ve read the play and seen the film several times, and yet, I’m still captivated by it each and every time. This is due in no small part to the incredible performances from the entire cast. Jeremy Irons can sometimes be quite dry, but is surprisingly effective here, while Joseph Fiennes shows once again that he can handle Shakespearean dialogue with the best of them.
However, the true show-stopping performance of the film comes from Al Pacino as Shylock. At first, he may seem like an odd choice for Shakespeare, but when he delivers the “Hath not a Jew hands?” speech with complete perfection in every beat, all doubts are laid to rest. His demanding of the bond in front of the court, and his refusal to be swayed by any other means of compensation, comes off as chilling at times. As it turns out, a better choice they could not have made.
I mentioned earlier that it is perhaps the ending that can be deemed the comical part of the play, but the ending is the only part of the play that I have a small issue with. The Merchant of Venice is one of those Shakespeare plays that keeps going even after the main plot has wrapped up. It’s a tactic he used in a few plays, and successfully too (A Midsummer Night’s Dream comes to mind), but for this play, it seems a little unnecessary to throw in a quick closing subplot about wives tricking their husbands into giving away their rings that they swore never to part with. It doesn’t really damage the play, it just seems like an odd coda to what has been a dramatically heavy tale.
Even with the strange ending, this is still a great production of a great play that is most certainly worth checking out. Like me, you just might find yourself with a new-found respect for Al Pacino as an actor after experiencing the emotional punch he delivers here.
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