Year 12 English: ‘The Merchant of Venice’ visit

Last Wednesday, the Year 12 English Literature cohort took a trip to London to watch Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’ at the Trafalgar Theatre. This version of the play, by the Royal Shakespeare Company, was set in the East End of London in 1936. The focus of this switch in time period and location was to highlight the anti-semitism and fascist movement led by Oswald Mosley at the time. The play starred Tracy-Ann Oberman, the first female Shylock (who was a Jewish Moneylender). Through powerful moments, such as the final scene depicting the battle of Cable Street (1936), the cast was able to educate the audience on the dangers of the nationalistic view of thinking which Mosley was promoting whilst sharing Shakespeare’s classic tale.

Currently in English we are studying Othello, which could be compared to The Merchant of Venice as they are set in the same Venetian society and both follow the story of an outsider in that city. Seeing this performance was able to give us a new perspective on Othello and also broaden our understanding of Shakespeare through exposing us to more of his works. It was also proof of the power of theatre and literature, and through changing the time and location of this classic play, the company breathed new life into it and were able to share a story rooted in our country's history.