Oxford School Shakespeare (Merchant of Venice)

When a young Venetian seeks to woo a beautiful heiress, he finds himself struggling to put together the funds to present himself as a suitor. Young Bassanio finds himself in the debt of his friend, the wealthy Antonio once again. However, this time, Antonio asks Bassanio to find a lender. Bassanio approaches the Jewish moneylender Shylock, and hence begin his problems. Antonio is highly anti-Semitic, and this angers Shylock profusely. Antonio is also ruining Shylock’s business by not asking for interest, forcing Shylock to lower his interest rates as well. This play is famous for Shylock’s character, who, despite not being the protagonist, steals the show.