The Merchant Of Venice Comparative Essay

Two brave movie directors, Michael Radford and Trevor Nunn, took upon themselves the task of bringing Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice to life. Each director’s interpretation of the play greatly influenced the outcome of their movie. He wanted to make Shakespeare’s story come to life. Overall, the Michael Radford version of The Merchant of Venice is better because of the setting, story development, and character interpretation.

First of all, the setting plays a big role in how the audience understands the story. Radford stayed true to the play by placing the characters in Ancient Venice around the 16th century. Nunn, on the other hand, turned the story into a modern tale by placing them in between WW1 and WW2. Establishing the story in

According to Radford, this play is “about all humanity”(Murray 1). This is why he worked interminably at making the characters relatable to the audience. Shylock is the perfect example of this; he is depicted in a way that relates to every human. Radford portrays him as a victim of human greed and desire; whereas, Nunn portrayed Shylock as a heartless moneylender and gives him the image of a great villain. It is easier to relate to a character that struggles with the same problems seen in our day. Shylock is someone all humans can relate to, he is just a man who was wronged and got carried away in rage. This happens all too often in society, people get carried away and forget about mercy. Another example of good character interpretation is that of Launcelot. The presentation and aura of his character is drastically different from one version to the other. “Certainly my conscience will serve me to run from this Jew my master” is one line that was interpreted two very different ways (2.2.1-2). Radford shows the true struggle between launcelot and his conscience, while Nunn turned the whole thing into a stage comedy act. A struggle between the mind and the conscience, rather than a comedic monologue, serves as a great connection to the audience. Radford made good choices when it came to character