5 comments about The Clean House and Other Plays.

1. I chose Sarah Ruhl's plays as a source of language for an advanced EFL course, wanting an example of contemporary American English. The situations and word play, however, make her work unsuitable for this. While I did appreciate her work from a literary point of view, I didn't really find her work on a par with what the hype had brought me to expect. She is definitely interesting, but perhaps she tries too hard to be different, with mixed results



2. 
   Before Sarah Ruhl was a playwright, she was a poet. This is not a great surprise. I mean, just look at the format, imagery and dialogue found in The Clean House and Other Plays. This is drama, yeah, but it is drama that even contains poetic line-breaks!:
   
   I feel I can deposit my pain
   right there--like a coin, into a hole.
   (from Melancholy Play, page 236)
   
   In a March 2008 New Yorker interview, Ruhl calls herself "a fabulist." She is someone whose characters build rooms of string and travel in raining elevators (Euridyce). In another story, Ruhl echoes Monty Python's idea of jokes that can kill--only hers are used as mercy killings (The Clean House). Ruhl's lesbian cowboy seems natural riding imaginary horses in Pittsburgh (Late: A Cowboy Song); and watch where you step, because the depressed are turning into almonds at almost every turn! (Melancholy Play)
   
   The experience of reading plays is a different one from that of reading other fiction or non-fiction works. Plays stretch the mind to consider subjects such as lighting, sound, and props. As a list given here, such material might be perceived as mundane and dull. In Sarah Ruhl's hands, they become magic. A lack of narrative and the addition of technical details doesn't mean that the nuances of emotion are left behind as something only the actors can manage. Tears, real tears, are no doubt regularly shed as Ruhl's readers feel the beautiful emotional-roller coaster moments on these pages: the strong father-daughter bond and ridiculousness of new romance in Euridyce; the love for parents and heartbreaking compassion of The Clean House; the true and false loves of Late: A Cowboy Song; and the sweet disorder of Melancholy Play.
   
   Ruhl's characters are full of wonderfully playful, bizarre contradictions: For example, the psychiatrist in Melancholy Play, LORENZO THE UNFEELING, takes every opportunity to enlighten the people he comes in contact with to the sad, tragic details of his childhood and to the fact that he not only feels, but has gone completely overboard, falling in love with his melancholy patient, Tilly. A Brazilian housekeeper detests housekeeping, and longs to be a comedian. A woman is irresistible to all men when she is miserable, but the moment she finds happiness, the world shifts and almost no one can stand her any longer.
   
   Perhaps most fun of all reading a Sarah Ruhl play are the stage notes, which one would never have the opportunity to enjoy if sitting in the audience and watching the thing. In Melancholy Play, for example, Ruhl has notes about the casting.
   
   Frances and Frank, we learn later in this play, are twins. However, in the world of this play, there is no need for twins to resemble each other. If your Frances and Frank look nothing alike, simply change this line on page 315: "TILLY: My God! You look exactly like her!" to "TILLY: My God! You look nothing like her!" or even: "TILLY: My God! You look a little bit like her!"
   
   The Clean House and Other Plays is a collection of silly, enchanting and weird stories that, despite their oddness and impossibilities, still hold the ring of truth. Ruhl writes in a way that is so human it is impossible not to be moved. Having never seen a Sarah Ruhl play produced, this writer can tell you that it's not the least bit necessary to enjoy this book. It stands on its own as a great piece of literature.
   
   This review first appeared on Night Times.



3. I read a profile of Sara Ruhl in THE NEW YORKER and was intrigued by the lack of psychologizing in her plays. So I bought a book of her plays. There's some good stuff in there, and some very cliched aspects as well. Ruhl seems to suffer from a bit of shame deriving from her white midwestern roots.



4. This anthology is reasonably priced, by a woman, and contemporary, rather than modern. My Absurdism students will be able to select which play or plays they wish to examine.



5. Sarah Ruhl is writing the very best contemporary drama. She's on fire in these plays.

5 comments about Twelfth Night (Folger Shakespeare Library).

1. And frequently all the same person. A cross-dressing young lady yclept Viola carries Duke Orsino's messages of undying love to Olivia. Olivia hurls harsh word at the Duke as her reply, and in the end gets her desire. Olivia's head servant, Malvolio isn't as smart as he thinks he is, but Feste, the fool, is smarter than anyone thinks he is. And Cesario isn't the man that Olivia and the Duke think he is (but it turns out that Cesario has a crush on the Duke...)
   
   I can see why this one is considered one of Shakespeare's best. It's got confused identities, room for slapstick, bawdy word play, swordplay, a girl disguised as a boy (but originally played by a boy; I bet he didn't know whether to sit or stand after rehearsal), and all those traits of Shakespeare's best.
   
   I loved it.
   
   E.M. Van Court



2. The Folger Shakespeare edition of this play gives it a leg up on other versions as far as homeschooling goes. First, the text of the play appears on the right-hand pages, leaving the left-hand pages for glosses, text notes, and illustrations that clarify numerous allusions in the play. Second, sections in the introductory material explain Shakespeare's language, life, and theater, as well as the print history of the play. In the closing material, the editors have included textual notes, an essay entitled "*Twelfth Night*: A Modern Perspective" by Catherine Belsey, an annotated list for further reading, and a key to famous lines in the play. Most useful for homeschooling, perhaps, are the lesson plans available at the Folger web site in either PDF or print version. This play served as the basis of the popular movie *She's the Man*, which can be viewed as a follow-up for comparison and discussion.



3. Twelfth Night is a very amazing book full of true love, confusion, and adventure. It starts out with a shipwreck on a fictious island of Illyria where Viola and her twin brother Sebastian are staying and neither of them thinks the other is alive. So therefore, they both go into Illyira and Viola posing as a man who is a messenger for Duke Orisno. Results in big trouble for all of them in Illyria. This is only some events that happen in the book. Other things are Duke Orsino is madly in love with Olivia who does not love him. Malvolio thinking Olivia loves him when she doesn't. Things just aren't going so well in Illyria for all the characters. But overall this is an excellent book and I truly enjoyed reading it.



4. I saw she's the man in theaters, then I went on the internet and read about it. Then I found out it is based on twelfth night. So I read the play and I like it. I've also read A midsummer night's dream. I like twelfth night more. It's a great play.



5. This play is about a girl who goes under cover as a man to try to find her twin brother who was lost in a shipwreck. she goes to work for the self indulgent Duke Orsino. the play is filled with comedic events such as the Duchess Olivia falls love with the main character, Viola, because Olivia thinks Viola is a man, as well as the drunken antics of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. overall it was a very funny play and I enjoyed reading it and I would reccoment it to anyone who likes Shakespeare.
   
   The wording, the same as with any shakespeare play, was a little hard to get used to. When reading it I would get a vague understanding what the character was saying but then I would chekc the definition of specific words that are on the the opposite page. It would then become clear to me what was happening in the play. I enjoyed the comedic flow of the story. the series of different converging plots made for a little difficult comprehension but it all came together at the end of the play. This was definitely a funny play, and it was even better when I saw it on stage. There seems to be so much one misses when just reading a play, but when one sees it on stage the overall understanding of what is happening and why is greater. I thouroughly enjoyed reading the play as well as seeing it on stage and it was overall a solid comedy by William Shakespeare.

5 comments about Sock and Glove: Creating Charming Softy Friends from Cast-Off Socks and Gloves.

1. Martha Stewart featured this book on her show a month or so ago (summer 2008) and she and some celebrity made a dog and a bunny. They're funky little animals and look very easy to make. For how-to purposes, you probably don't need the book, just the idea...but the book is good inspiration and the thinking and planning is done for you. The book is fun to look at and would make a good kid's book too. I'm thinking an argyle sock would make a great sweater for one of these little stuffed friends to wear!



2. A delightful book with a cute story presentation as well as simple and clear instructions on how to make the puppets. I have recommended this book to art and craft teachers.



3. I have been having a blast making stuffed toys for my kids using the patterns from this book. The pictures alone make it a fun book to read. The patterns are not step by step leaving you to add a lot of your own creativity to the finished product.



4. This book was prefect. I was novice sewer with only little sewing knowledge when I bought this book. It was worth a million bucks. The instructions were easy to follow and within two days of buying the book I was sewing each of my friends two or three little sock and glove animals.
   It's great for last second gifts, birthday presents, and Christmas gifts.
   Who doesn't want a cute, little cuddly friend?
   I made myself three.
   I liked the way the book was setup in story format. Instead of just instructions there was colorful photography and a storyline.
   I'd recommend this for anyone from beginners to experts. Even months later, after I've had much more sewing experience I enjoy using the book and making more stuff animals!



5. This book is awesome. The toys are easy to make - some of them have been completed by my children aged 9 and 11 years old. There is only basic equipment required to make the toys and the stitching is easy. Step by step instructions of each toy and clothes to fit are also provided.
   
   A great gift for someone with young children or a baby on the way. I am going to make these for my friends who are expecting. They will make great cheap gifts for all - christmas, birthday etc. My children have enjoyed raiding their old socks to make new friends...

5 comments about Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television.

1. Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television
   This is an excellent book that I highly recommend for any film maker either directing actors for the first time or for more experienced directors to gain a greater insight into the world of acting. I am a trained and experienced actor who has ventured into Directing and have found the book deadly accurate about what is going on for actors on a film or TV set. From the first script read-through to working on the shoot there are very practical and sensible tips and hints to make your directing duties much more efficient and focussed. The 'script analysis' techniques are very empowering putting structure into what can be a very hit and miss affair otherwise. Put this book in your tool kit and read it all the way through then again at each stage of production as you go(great bedside reading before each shoot day). This book is inspirational, readable, practical and helpful.



2. If you are even thinking that this book might be of some interest to you, I can assure you it will change the way you work -- all for the good. Weston has boiled down and focused the art of getting a performance in a clear and brilliant manner. What else can I say, why are you still reading this - buy it. Simple.



3. Judith Weston has outlined for the director (of any performance, not just film) quick and effective ways to communicate and elicit the performance you want... at the very least, you will get something different. I am an actress who has had the privilege of working with Judith and her directors. I have seen the process in action. I've used it. When someone has truly applied the techniques that this book recommends, it doesn't matter if the actors have just started, or if they're old pros, with vastly different methods, the performances are fresh. The performances change. The performances improve! READ THIS BOOK!



4. This book isn't just for directors. It is an invaluable resource for actors as well. I've taught film and video acting for a number of years and never found a book that was worth having students read even part of. Until this one. Unlike most books on acting which focus on techniques that may work great on stage but are worse than disastrous on film, Judith Weston goes under the surface of acting and directing to the core of what a close-up camera needs to see. That, in a nutshell, is "lending the character your unconscious," so that absolutely nothing looks (or is) fake or "pretend." Even more importantly, she provides down-to-earth, extremely effective techniques for directors that support and demand genuine, affect-free performances. She discusses the creative process of the director at a level that is not idiosycratic or based on her personal "style" (as so many books for directors and actors do). Her advice is both common-sensical and deeply insightful, it's what every good director knows but often can't articulate consistently enough. Don't miss this book if you work in film or video, whether you are a director, actor, teacher, editor, DP, AD, or even a gaffer. After reading Weston, you will see every aspect of the actors performances more truly and clearly, and find yourself finding new ways to get the most out of every second on screen. One of those books that changes your life by telling you what you already knew more clearly than you ever thought it could be said, and giving you fresh new ways to put it into practical use. Highest recommendation.



5. This book teaches the most important skill a director can possess: getting great performances from actors.
   
   She breaks things down into logical bits and helps you avoid many common mistakes directors make, such as giving unplayable directions, giving too many directions, talking too much, etc.
   
   She writes with wisdom, insight, and humor.
   
   If you're a director or a wannabe director, do the world a favor and read this book so the world has better performances to watch.
   
   This book is the best kept secret in show business. An even more valuable secret is her workshop, which she teaches regularly in L.A. as of this review (Spring 2006).

5 comments about Public Speaking: An Audience-Centered Approach (6th Edition) (MySpeechLab Series).

1. I will never buy a book at my school bookstore again! This was a great buy, with a great price and fast delivery.



2. I like Beebe's perspective on the field of communication studies, and I value his work. I worked in developing instructional materials to support this book and used the book in my teaching. I agree with the audience-centered focus to public speaking.



3. This book contains so much information, but it is set out in a way you can easily read and retain it.



4. 'Audience Centered' seems to be an obvious off-shoot of the teaching styles, that have become hyper-popular over the last decade or two, that claim to be 'Student Centered'. Is it just a buzz word, or is there something in it? As another reviewer points out, Audience Centered public speaking dates back at least as far back as Aristotle.
   
   In keeping with the new-fangled approaches towards learning, 'Pubic Speaking: An Audience Centered Approach' offers the student a full multi-media experience, that is reflected in the price. However I love such an approoach as it allows the student to learn in his or her preferred learning style.
   
   While I don't need to go into the contents of the course because the product description by the publisher is more than adequate. This renewed package though, is a veritable collection of expert advice on all aspects of public speaking, from preparing to completion. What is more, you can actually see the speeches being delivered through examples provided by online video clips.
   
   Without a doubt the price for this package is a little steep. You might fid it worth it, or you might not. Value is so subjective after all, but 'Public Speaking: An Audience Centered Approach' certainly takes advantage of the many more learning channels available today, than a book alone can, or even an audio/book course.



5. You can't say that the audience-centered concept used in this book was pioneered by them. After all, in the first paragraph the authors give credit to Aristotle for defining the elements of speechmaking as 'of speaker, subject and person addresed - it is the last one, the herer, that determines the speaker's end and object.'
   
   The first edition of this book, about 15 years ago, set the tone for what has now become the sisth edition, with each edition improved by audience feedback and new educational concepts. The general concept of keeping the audience at the center of of the speakers mind through all of the steps in the process.
   
   Of course, this does not mean that the speaker tells the audience only what they want to hear; to do that would not convey anything to the audience but a good feeling. Some of the example speeches, 'I Have a Dream,' Martin Luther King, Jr., speak to people holding views very opposed to his.
   
   The highly illustrated book is carefully organized with a mixture of text, tables, drawings, comments and questions to maintain the students interest while educating him. Indeed these techniques are some that can be used by the student in his speeches.

5 comments about Respect for Acting.

1. This book is a classic. I should be read by everyone interested in a career in acting. I'm a Talent Manager and partner in www.actinglink.com and I recommend this book to everyone of my clients. It's been called "the textbook for aspiring actors". If you are interested in acting but not sure where to start, I would strongly suggest starting with this book.
   
   Michael Packenham



2. As an actor, I found this book to very helpful with ways to aproach acting.



3. Uta Hagen is fabulous, according to my daughter. Her drama teacher loaned her the book and she wore it out. She now has a new one of her own and thinks all drama students need to read this.



4. this is the first book I ever read on acting just as I was about to embark on my first acting lesson, oh, so many years ago. any beginner, pro or dabbler would enhance themselves by reading this..Respect For Acting is the title, respect is the key, to respect your art, your discipline, your craft..you won't find everything you need in here, no book can do that for you that comes from experience but this is the finest book on acting you might ever read, right up there with Stanislavsky's books and a few others...this opened up the world of acting for me and showed what was expected of me and it's lessons still ring true after over 20 years of acting..



5. ...fortunately for anyone who might want the benefit of some of the late Ms. Hagen's acting advice, her writing improved enormously and her second book 'A Challenge For The Actor' (published in 1991) shows her capacity to grow as a scribe as well as a thespian. I would recommend that an aspiring acting student, especially one who is early in his or her career purchase 'A Challenge For The Actor' instead of 'Respect For Acting' as is 'A Challenge For The Actor' far less muddled and obtuse than 'Respect For Acting'

5 comments about Paul Newman: A Life in Pictures.

1. This book has everything you ever wanted to see about Newman's life and you never dared to see.



2. Very well done. Many interesting photographs, large - and cover his entire career, very young and older... Text on his life, including his childhood is very well done, interesting, and enlightening. If you like Paul Newman, you will be very happy with this book.
   
   Cindy Mueller
   Chicago, IL



3. As a Actor, Family Man , CEO of Newman's Own Products .Mr. Paul Newman is a real professional and a remarkable person. This book captures him in all these and more of his great and quiet moments. The pictures are worth there weight in having this book. Paul Newman loves water can be seen threw some of his films. this book will make you view all of his films. A real man for all seasons.



4. Being that my husband and I are huge Paul Newman fans made this book a real family treasure. We've enjoyed his films over the years and seeing him on these pages brings back many fond memmories. I only wished that more of his photographs in character had been made available. Paul's various character roles were all so exciting like; Juan Carrasco, "Fast" Eddie Felson, and Ben Quick just to name a few. This edition was well worth the money and will be enjoyed for years to come.



5. As overseas pickups from France's Editions PHYB, the 'Life In Pictures' series make decent enough coffee table books though much of their success as a project truly depends on the subject at hand. By creating a compendium of photographs taken by various sources throughout one's early days and public career, the books are only as interesting as the photographic subjects they chronicle. For the Newman book, the chronology covers his early days in acting school, his famed long-term marriage to actress Joanne Woodward, starring roles in films like Hud, Paris Blues, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy, Winning and The Sting, to his passion as a race car driver and team owner at the 24 hours of LeMans, Daytona and the Long Beach Grand Prix. While Newman's sense of family, career highlights and philanthropic strains come though in the main, the whole history is rather shortchanged with a scant eight-page biography supplemented by selected quotes scattered throughout the book. While clearly meant to be a picture book, the images appear inconsistent and random (i.e. for the film for which he finally won the Oscar for Best Actor, Marty Scorsese's 'The Color of Money,' Newman is only represented in the book by the movie's one-sheet poster) and thus fail to paint nearly a compelling enough portrait of what is generally regarded as one of America's most revered actors. PHYB is coming with a similar 'Life in Pictures' edition this fall on Marilyn Monroe (also to be distributed by Chronicle in the US). One would expect that this kind of light-on-copy, heavy-on-pics treatment would be more well suited to that subject indeed.

5 comments about Backwards & Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays.

1. I've been acting for ten years and got my first directing assignment. I know a lot about directing from having been directed, but this book was a great guide for script analysis with the big picture in mind, not just one character. The show was a success and the actors still like me.



2. It seems like reading would require no specific techniques, that they would come naturally to one and go without saying, even when the task is more specified, as in the reading of plays. But Ball breaks down this seemingly natural sense into its component elements and explains them in easily digestible, well-paced segments, and to examine these elements does much in the way of re-learning and thus refining and fine-tuning one's seemingly natural reading skill. This skill can be taken and applied in various ways (as Ball describes in the introduction), some of which are immeasurably improved by the complex understanding that posessing these refined elements provides; the reading a play to produce it, for example, or the writing of one yourself can be tremendously improved if one is constantly aware of what they are doing, why they're doing it, and what about their actions are correct, lacking, unnecessary or obtrusive. Without having a defined sense of the tools contained within this book, these tasks would be much more difficult, complicated, vague and roundabout, thus slowing, weakening or perhaps ruining the final product. Pair this skill set with application to texts such as plays, which are made all the more difficult by the fact that the playwright thinks in terms more of making their production work when produced for an audience and less of making their script read and be easily graspable completely on the page, and this manual becomes immeasurably more useful on a basic and elemental level.



3. This book would serve a Script Analysis class very well. I plan to use it for mine in the fall. It also is reader friendly enough to serve an actor/director/designer wanting a different perspective, perhaps, on a script; or could be a different way of explaining what we were generally taught as undergrads.



4. I have read a lot of books on the subjects of writing and acting. This book contains almost every important point in the tens of thousands of pages I have read when it comes to structure. If you are a writer you have to own this book! There is no wasted space in it. No actor or director on the planet should live without it either. You can read it in a day, but you'll read it again and again.



5. This book may have been primarily written for directors and writers, but it is a great tool for actors to get to real active meanings in a script.

5 comments about A Practical Handbook for the Actor.

1. ...until a grad-student friend of mine required this textbook for a class he was teaching. I later learned he was going against the grain by doing so; university education in acting frequently concentrates on the emotional state of the actor, and this book punctures that paradigm like a shiny pin. A Practical Handbook for the Actor, written by pupils of acting workshops run by David Mamet and William H. Macy, puts forth the idea that the actor's emotional state is pretty much irrelevant, if it doesn't translate into actions that communicate something to the audience.
   
   This book utterly demystifies the process of how an actor creates a powerful performance. It answers every "yes, but how?" question actors in training -- and interested fans -- should have about how acting really works.
   
   There's nothing pedestrian or insulting about pulling back the curtain and providing specific, detailed instruction. There's nothing limiting or proscriptive about this method -- because it gives the actor two kinds of tools. The Handbook provides a framework for delving into the intellectual side of script analysis, so that the actor can really understand what's going on, boil it down to essentials, and avoid all the traps of poorly-defined emotionalism.
   
   From there, it is completely up to the actor to translate that understanding into specific, personally meaningful, play-able actions. Which are, after all, what a performance is made out of. It's not that imagination or emotion aren't important, it's just that they are the actor's tools just like her voice or posture, and deserve the same kind of forethought and attention.
   
   There will therefore be as many different ways to play a scene as there are different actors. It's just that by paying attention to what's going on, both in the script and on the stage at this exact moment, the actor has a clearer and more direct way to do what they mean -- without having to go through the mental and emotional gymnastics required to try to mean what the script says they have to do. As the authors point out, a system that doesn't work when you're tired, when you have a cold, or when your mom is in the audience is a pretty lousy system. So why do we spend so much time trying to work ourselves up into a particular state?
   
   There's a famous story about Dustin Hoffman and Sir Laurence Olivier, on the set of "Marathon Man" in the mid-1970s. It's one of those stories that isn't actually true, but is so instructive that it should be. They're about to film the scene where Hoffman's character confronts Olivier's, after an intense period of cat-and-mouse. Because his character hasn't slept all night, Hoffman stayed up all night, and jogged around the studio lot so he'd be appropriately sweaty and worn-down for the scene.
   
   The story claims that as the director called "places," Olivier set down his newspaper, got up out of his chair, and was startled to see the dismal state of his co-star. "My dear boy," he said, shaking his head, "you really should try ACTING."
   
   This book is very much more the kind of acting Sir Laurence was talking about, and not the kind that makes an actor exhausted and neurotic. I can't recommend it highly enough, both for those studying acting and those who are just fans of the process.



2. Bought this to aid in developing better performances as a magician. Lots of helpful advice in this book. Recommended.



3. I used this book to teach a beginning acting class at our community college. It is an excellent introduction to the craft. The book gives clear examples of selecting an action that create clear and exciting choices for the actor. Rather than focusing on emotional states such as "you're angry or you're happy," the text shows how to allow emotional truth to come from the moment while focusing on what the character is doing. The examples in the book are practical and relate well to the craft. I particularly appreciated that an action should have a test in the other character. So rather that an character delivering a letter with an action "to deliver" that is over without fanfare, a more exciting action would be "to please my boss so I'll get a promotion." The character still delivers a letter, but with a more dynamic action that is interesting to watch. The book is short. I covered the material in our film acting and stage acting units in about eight classes. It's short, sweet & to the point. I recommend it as a great review for experienced actors and as a wonderful introduction to beginning actors. Enjoy!



4. This is a very useful guide to teaching theatre. I will be using it a lot in my classroom.



5. I studied for a couple of years at the Atlantic Theatre in NYC which David Mamet and William H Macy founded...they teach exclusively the principles in this book..the title says it all.."Practical"..as far as analyzing a script, breaking it down and coming up with acting impetus this book will free you from all that crap you've been taught and give you basic, workable tools to act..especially in auditions where you might be given a script and then 5 minutes later be asked to do it..once I got a grasp of the practical techniques I found my audition success rate soar..I still incorporate these techniques in every audition...the method and all that other acting stuff you'll learn like smelling the coffe and being a leave floating off a tree, well, that's nice but an actors basic tools never change, knowing your lines and analyzing the script, knowing what's going on in the scene and what you want in the scene..this book give you the tools to do just that...highly recommended!

5 comments about The Merchant of Venice (Folger Shakespeare Library).

1. If one can get past the blatant anti-semitism of this play, you will be sucked into a hilarious battle of wits. This is actually called a drama, but it contains romance and very hysterical lines and gives women a role that is seldom in seen in works of this time period. Classic characters and classic lines!



2. I clicked on the "Kindle Version" link from the paperback "The Merchant of Venice (Folger Shakespeare Library)" since I had purchased several of the Folger hard-copy editions and found the full facing page annotations a huge help in getting the most from the plays. I was worried that the alternating pages of annotations and text would be a bit cumbersome on the Kindle. I need not have worried, as the annotations, and all other extra features, are MISSING. The product description, however, of the Kindle edition does state that the extra features are present on this eBook. Amazon, please convert the Folger Shakespeare Library to the Kindle including all extra features with annotations. In the meantime, please clean up the descriptions for this product line.



3. Most reviewers focus on the issue of religion - Shylock as a Jew - but fail to look past the issues of faith and consider the discussion of business ethics in "The Merchant of Venice".
   
   I won't go into the racism and religions arguments because I have nothing new to say on those subjects, and they have been done to death by everyone from high school freshmen to PhD candidates.
   
   As much as any other theme, greed and impact of greed on business are themes that don't get the consideration in this play. In the era of the collapse of the "Sub-Prime Lending Market" and all the related scams, scandals, and tragedies, and Enron, and the impending collapse of several commodities markets, the theme of greed is more relevant than ever. "Oh my daughter, oh my ducats" has a familiar ring as realtors wring their hands that their properties can only be sold at a loss due to their own thoughtless avarice. As Shylock demanded the pound of flesh he was owned, mortgage firms foreclosing on properties where the buyer was encouraged to lie on the application has familiar feel to it.
   
   "Merchant of Venice" has comedy, and has several other themes, but greed is the least discussed, and has the air of the elephant at a cocktail party that everyone is too polite to mention. The play was written in a time when people would fund military ships in order to share in the loot and salvage the ship brought back. From this play alone, you could make the case that Shakespeare was the first Socialist, the first person to openly question the business ethics and practices of his time. By setting the play in Venice and making the personification of Greed a Jew, he gently deflects the audience to the real statement he's trying to make.
   
   Aside from the possible political message, this is quite a play. The characters are lively and timeless as all the best of the Bard, and the themes of romance, wayward children, and justice are as timely and thought provoking now as when they were written.
   
   Excellent and complex play with as much drama and social criticism as comedy.
   
   E.M. Van Court



4. _Merchant_ is a hard play to swallow -- brilliantly written and scathing in content. One worries about the futures of all the characters, most of whom are so flawed as to inspire only pity for their respective beloveds. The deus ex machina ending, in which Portia conjures happiness all around out of thin air -- except, of course, for Shylock, is merely bewildering.
   
   Yet _Merchant_ should not be forgotten. One gets the impression that Shakespeare *wanted* his audience to be uncomfortable with some of the horrible prejudices depicted, and one definitely feels challenged. In addition, the extent to which we have moved on from the anti-Semitism so apparently cavalierly brandished in this 'comedy' leaves us with the responsibility to remember and be aware of prejudices that could be recalled to life, given the wrong stimuli.
   
   I bought my Kindle edition for a "Shakespeare Sundae" dessert + reading, and was very pleased with its formatting and readability. The price is right, too.



5. One cannot read Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice without realizing the significance that religion takes in the play, specifically the portrayal of the Jewish and Christian characters. When we first encounter the play's principal Jew, Shylock, we can only feel resentment towards him for the way he carries himself and conducts his business. Then, when first exposed to the play's principal Christian characters--Antonio, Bassanio, and Portia--the audience likely feels sympathetic towards them because of their unfortunate run-ins with the villainous Shylock. But I wonder if this is a truly accurate reading of the play. It appears that critics are divided on whether Shakespeare was further advancing anti-Semitism existent at the time by depicting Shylock in denigrating stereotypes throughout the play or whether he was actually condemning anti-Semitic behavior by turning Shylock into a sympathetic figure by the play's end. It is my contention that Shakespeare is merely reflecting societal norms at the time as he indicts religion altogether.
   
   Though we cannot forget Shylock's appeal to humanity in his "Hath not a Jew eyes" speech, nor Portia's appeal for mercy at the court trial, there is far too much evidence of misdeeds and hypocrisy by all of these characters to think Shakespeare is "picking sides" in this battle of religions. Shylock's greed and need for revenge are certainly damning portrayals of his faith given how religious he claims to be. But given the "holier-than-thou" attitude's of Venice's Christians and their hypocritical actions to the contrary of their religion, it is clear to me Shakespeare has a major problem with Christians who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk." I will discuss the villainous representation of Shylock, then analyze the hypocrisy of the play's primary Christian characters and will question if these Christians embody the righteous example of which they speak.
   
   The portrayal of Shylock is paramount throughout the play, mainly because we are torn between disliking him for his cruelty on one hand and empathizing with him because of the abuse he suffers on the other. When Shylock enters the play in the Act 1, Bassanio is trying to get a loan from him using Antonio's credit because he needs a large sum of money so he can appropriately woo Portia. There is certainly no denying Shylock's passion for accumulating wealth. The other characters frequently comment on Shylock's greed throughout the play, and he even tells his daughter that he dreams about moneybags. Shylock suffers ridicule from the Christian community because he charges high interest rates on loans, but also because he is a Jew, comparable to a dog or the devil in their eyes. As Shylock considers the loan, he seems more interested in having Antonio bound to him than with the loan itself, and we soon learn of Antonio and Shylock's mutual resentment. Shylock is hesitant to help Antonio out because Antonio has hurt his own business dealings in the past by lending money at no charge, but also because he is a Christian. The evidence of Shylock's greed continues to mount. In Act 2, Solanio describes "the dog Jew" running through the streets of Venice and crying more earnestly for his lost ducats than for his lost daughter (who has ended their relationship, married a Christian and converted to Christianity, further enraging her estranged father).
   
   Beginning in Act 3 and continuing into the first parts of Act 4, Shylock repeats statements like "I will have my bond"--the dubious "pound of flesh" from Antonio's body. Shylock's repetitions of his claim turn into a death chant of sorts for Antonio since he is now unable repay the loan. When asked what he plans to do with Antonio's piece of flesh since it's obviously worthless to him Shylock replies, "To bait fish withal...if it will feed nothing else it will feed my revenge" (Act 3, Scene 1, lines 45-46). We can now see Shylock eagerly awaiting his chance to kill Antonio and get his symbolic revenge on all the town's Christians, whom he despises.
   
   Despite Portia's famed speech at the dramatic trial in Act 4, in which she lectures about Christian goodness and "the quality of mercy," Shylock refuses to show Antonio mercy. He claims he "craves the law" (Scene 1, line 203) and will not be merciful and forgiving to Antonio, and no one can change his mind. All of these incidents are constant reinforcements of Shylock's bitterness and cold-heartedness, which has been shown throughout the play, and which are clearly not in line with the virtuous nature of Judaism.
   
   Of course we know that there is an unexpected change of events about to happen to Shylock. Instead of having his bond, we find that Shylock's bond with Antonio is impossible to recover since he may not shed a drop of Antonio's Christian blood in the process. Portia then orders Shylock's property seized and "mercifully" allows him to convert to Christianity rather being executed for attempting to take the life of a fellow Venetian, seemingly "delivering" him from his Jewishness. But up until Shylock's sentencing, we might be somewhat content with the depictions of the evil Jew and the righteous Christians. But as we examine Act 4 (and the entire play) more closely, we are forced to recognize that perhaps Shylock is actually a victim of the hypocritical Christian society in which he lives. Being able to read this play in a post-Holocaust and post-Civil Rights Movement world, we cannot help but have some empathy towards Shylock for the way he is treated, though clearly he is not a very virtuous man in his own right.
   
   To analyze Christian hypocrisy in this play, it is necessary to go back to Portia's dramatic speech given at the trial, discussed previously. Portia preaches about the blessings of showing mercy, almost playing the role of a preacher. But if we retrace her steps back to Act 1, we hear Portia confessing to Christian hypocrisy. "Portia alludes to the familiar commonplace of the breach between Christian precept and practice" (Hassel, 117). This assertion comes from the following passage spoken by Portia:
   
   "If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men's cottages princes' palaces. It is a good divine that follows his own instructions. I can easier teach twenty that were good to be done than to be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching" (Act 1, Scene 2, lines 11-15).
   
   The primary Christian characters of this play are representative of the people living at the time. Antonio, the merchant of Venice himself, has a great reputation among his fellow Christians who see him as a righteous and self-sacrificing citizen and friend. His bigotry towards Jews is not frowned upon because all of the others share his belief. Behind Shylock's back, Antonio ridicules him as a moneylender, but then enters into a loan agreement with him anyway. Antonio shows no mercy to Shylock when Portia pronounces his sentence. If Antonio were a genuine Christian, would he not have humbly accepted his acquittal then tried to reconcile his differences with Shylock? Instead, Antonio agrees to take half of Shylock's possessions without objection, thus eliminating his main business rival. These actions (along with Antonio's berating of Shylock) are not of Christian compassion and mercy but of selfishness and religious hypocrisy.
   
   Now I briefly turn to Bassanio. Bassanio is portrayed as a bit of a playboy--squandering all he has, refusing to work and willing to beg for financial assistance. He is more than willing to marry Portia for financial gain. He certainly has a tendency toward materialism and consumption, which are not Christian values. Although Bassanio does not really victimize Shylock in the same way the others do, his lifestyle does tarnish the religious credibility of the Christian community.
   
   Now I turn to Portia, who embodies this hypocritical Christian nature and does not practice what she preaches. We are clued in to her racism as she complains about one of her suitors for marriage, the dark-skinned Prince from Morocco. Portia makes the comment "If he have the condition of a saint and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me" (Act 1, Scene 2, line 33). "Portia knows it is a sin to be a mocker, but she mocks her suitors anyway" (Hassel, 114). Portia instead settles for the gold-digging Bassanio.
   
   Although Portia's "quality of mercy" speech sounds like a wonderful description of Christian values, it is really an ironic display of Christian talking points versus actual practice. As I mentioned earlier, Portia's words do not correlate with her deeds. She tricks Shylock in this scene, first by disguising her character, then by turning the perceived law against him, leaving him a shell of his former self while enriching her friends. Shylock's life is completely ruined and she makes an even bigger mockery of his religion. Portia appears spiteful, not compassionate, and certainly does not come off as a merciful Christian.
   
   Though Shakespeare is a tough read for me, I think I finally came to an understanding about what this play was really trying to convey. At first glance, you find yourself hating Shylock and admiring Antonio, Bassanio, and Portia. Later, you find yourself empathizing with Shylock because of the hypocrisy of the Christian characters. While the critics have argued it both ways, I truly feel that Shakespeare is merely commenting on society as he then saw it, which turns out to be a strong indictment of both religions--or at least how their virtues are carried out by their followers.