Patrick Stewart on Shylock (Shakespeare On Stage) by Patrick Stewart

Author:Patrick Stewart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nick Hern Books

I have possess’d your grace of what I purpose;

And by the holy Sabbath have I sworn

To have the due and forfeit of my bond:

If you deny it, let the danger light

Upon your charter and your city’s freedom.

And he goes on at length. What he says is not just made up on the spot. He plays their game brilliantly, full of confidence, perfectly prepared.

Nerissa enters and hands a letter to the Duke. While he’s reading it, Shylock has an exchange with Gratiano, who asks ‘Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?’ Shylock: ‘To cut the forfeiture from that bankrupt there.’ Gratiano: ‘Not on thy sole, but on thy soul, harsh Jew, / Thou mak’st thy knife keen.’ In other words, Shakespeare is indicating a precise piece of stage business, sharpening your knife on the sole of your shoe. Did you do that?

Oh yes, yes. Each time I did it. It is required.

Enter Portia.

The two cleverest people in The Merchant of Venice are Portia and Shylock. They have the best minds, the best vocabulary, the best intellect. So it was always for me the most rewarding part of the trial scene when those two forces collide. It’s interesting that Portia’s ‘Quality of Mercy’ speech is in complete contrast to Shylock’s earlier reply to the Duke. She has not prepared that speech. Some actresses get it, some don’t. But what makes ‘The Quality of Mercy’ so powerful is when it’s in the moment, totally improvised. It happens because she says ‘Then must the Jew be merciful’, and Shylock comes back at her sharply with ‘On what compulsion must I? Tell me that’: Come on, you smart-arse, tell me that. She never expected to be asked that question, because to her compassion and forgiveness are natural, human instincts. This is where class becomes an issue, because Portia’s upbringing and background have taught her that you are generous and kind to those who have less than you, or those who are in trouble. And she has no expectation that Shylock will be any different. So when he says: [Growling aggressively.] Why? Why? She stammers: ‘The quality of mercy… is not… strained. It… droppeth… as the gentle rain – ’ and she’s literally thinking on her feet. She has been put on the spot. In some productions it rolls out as a famous set speech, but it makes a big difference when you see her panicked, because she’s suddenly got to defend her inherited philosophy of forgiveness, kindness, compassion.

You said a moment ago that Shylock sharpening his knife on the sole of his shoe is required by the text, therefore you always did it. But it seems at odds with your persona as a billionaire property developer and casino owner.

Yes, it’s one of the biggest contrasts. In each scene you got a different image. When you saw me first I was dressed in a pale grey three-piece suit, beautiful white shirt, cufflinks, playing putting-golf in my office. In the second scene I had changed into a dinner jacket and black tie because I was going out to dinner with the Christians.

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