Viennese Critic Evaluates `The Merchant'
Special interest is attached to a Viennese critic's view of the
presentation of Shakespeare's "Tbe Merchant of Venice" at the
Burghetheater of Vienna. The critic, Ernst Lothar, wrote glowingly
of the acting of Ernst Deutsch. His review, which appeared in the
Vienna Express, was translated from the German by Dr. Clarissa
Fineman, one of the most distinguished authorities in our com-
munity on German literature. A portion of her translation follows:
"The Merchant of Venice," for
the most part falsely understood,
Director Adoph Rott in his ever
is more often deliberately used as youthful exuberance still believes
a pretext for vicious propaganda. is the blaring-glaring-bangup ap-
Written between 1594 and 1597 and proach. He thinks that if he will
performed in 1600, it uses as its attack the staging with vigor and
main source a short story — "II overilluminate the obvious, he will
Pecorno" ("The Sheep's Head") achieve a more striking effect.
from Florentino's Collection of the What then is new on the Rialto? As
14th Century, according to the emi- far as Rott is concerned, nothing.
nent Shakespearean scholar, Max This sensation - seeking director
Luethi. The essential feature of does not yet realize or does not
this story is that the mercy of wish to realize that a mere sug-
forgiveness is urged upon a gestion, a mere shadowing forth is
revenge-thirsty character. Stories more convincing than the cash pay-
from the Orient, moreover, trans- ment of overexplicitness. Or does
mit a tradition wherein a mal- lie want to present "The Merchant
treated or defrauded person de- of Venice" as a didactic play and
mands a pound of human flesh as at the same time stage it as such
atonement for his disgrace.
a play should not be staged? If
In the way of historical back- that is what he wanted, he suc-
ground. Luethi points to the fact ceeded without reproach.
that while the Jews remained offi-
Shylock is a tragic figure
cially expelled from England dur-
ing the period from Edward I to throughout the play and this fact
Cromwell, they were privately should be brought home to Shakes.
tolerated in London at the time of pearean audiences without a sha-
Shakespeare. ( Hence Marlowe's dow of a do u b t. And whoever
"The Jew of Malta" and Dekker's doubts this — Rott seems to —
"The Jew of Venice.") Also, fam- should be directed to the lines that
ous actors in the 18th and 19th refer to him as the Royal Merchant
Centuries (Macklin and Irving) and potential Christian — (The
tried to make of the Jew a tragic Doge and Grat o do so).
figure instead of the tragi-comic
Shylock's muc decried greed is
caricature of the put-upon poor only a surface greed. On the other
devil.
hand we find a deeply-concealed
Thus it seems surprising at first disappointment in Jessica's ig-
sight to find "The Merchant of noble selfishness. Shylock adheres
Venice" included among the to the precepts of his religion with
Shakespearean comedies, such as puritanical strictness and feels the
"The Taming of a Shrew," 'The commandments of his faith to be
Merry Wives of Windsor," etc. In- more compelling than any other
deed, today, the brutal reality that power. Ile h a r d ens himself
the age of the misbegotten has so through an inner - softness so to
murderously conjured up, has speak, a softness that drives him
transformed this comedy into the to passionate revenge for the out-
tragedy of the Jews.
rages perpetrated upon his fellow-
In Goebbels' days Shylock was Jews. He who never experienced
portrayed (Werner Kraus) as a consideration, to whom mercy is a
joker spawned by dung without foreign word, and compassion a
fire. On the present-day political lie; who on the other .hand always
world scene the same lie is being saw the ugly head of injustice
brazenly palmed off as a truth. reared in triumph, cannot help but
This lie proclaims the plight of a have his own concept of justice
victimized, defenseless minority to and injustice.
that heaven which it must be
"The Merchant of Venice" al-
permitted to enter not to implore ,
though created in the shadows of
but to receive apologies, as tier-
the time and classed as a comedy,
man Hesse has said.
is nevertheless a beautiful creation
and demands that the ugly and the
TV All
P g ev
i aa ct:
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unheroic which it deals with be
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the hatred of the Jew, for the
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in Shylock's particular case,
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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CAPE TOWN — The second
patient to undergo a heart
transplant operation here is a
Jewish dentist, 58-year-old Dr.
Philip Blaiberg, whose 19-year-
old daughter Jill is reportedly
working as a volunteer in an
Israeli kibutz.
Dr. Blaiberg served as a cap-
tain in the South African Medi-
cal Corps during World War II.
One of his patients at the train-
ing camp was the late Louis
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Washkansky died here of
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Israel AF Commander Hod
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TEL AVIV—General Mordechai
Hod, commander of Israel's air
force, has arrived in the United
States on a lecture tour of
American Jewish communities on
behalf of the United Jewish Ap-
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JERUSALEM (JTA)—President
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