In the original work of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", you must also know the ugly face of the Jewish businessman Sherlock. He is greedy, loves money, cruel and cunning, and he wants to kill Antonio, who has an angelic heart. The image of this character is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it seems that it has become a statue, and there is no place to turn around. However, after watching Al Pacino's The Merchant of Venice, I began to have a new understanding of Sherlock, The Merchant of Venice, and even Jews. Directed by Michael Radford, The Merchant of Venice is a subversion of tradition. The play is directed by Al Pacino Playing Sherlock, he portrayed the Jew who was at the bottom of society, had money but no social status, and tried hard to win his own personal dignity. I thought that in order to achieve this effect, the director made some large or small adaptations of the original work. However, after reading the original work, I found out that the director filmed with full respect for the original work. If there is any change, then It's just a more impartial and objective perspective to tell this story that everyone is familiar with. What kind of person is Sherlock, and why does he need Antonio's pound of meat? It seems that this is also not in line with what a mercenary businessman does. One thing that is present in both the book and the film, but which is not known to the general reader, is the conflict between Judaism and Christianity in Europe at that time. The persecution of Jews did not begin with Hitler. In fact, this nation suffered a lot from the very beginning. In the Middle Ages, after Christianity was recognized by the Roman Empire and became the state religion, the persecution of its homologous Judaism became even more frenzied. and legal. First of all, Jews can only live in places designated by the state, and they cannot go out to public places at will during the day. If they want to go out, they must wear a red cap to show their difference from Christians; secondly, Jews cannot own their own property, even if you have Money can't have a house of your own, so the only thing Jews have are coins. I think this is also an important factor in why the Jews are so desperate and why they make money in a proper way, because the risks and uncertainties they have to face are too much. There are many, they cannot be recognized by the world and the law, they have no property, no status, and no dignity. All they can do is to reserve money as much as possible to resist those unforeseen risks. At the beginning of the film, a group of Christians are clamoring for the extermination of the Jews, and then the protagonist of the film, Antonio, spit at Sherlock, the Jew who tried to talk to him, and showed a contemptuous look of "you deserve to talk to me too" ( This plot is also explained in the original book). I remember being shocked by this episode: God, aren't you that Antonio with a heart of gold? How can you do this to a Jew who just wants to say something to you (you don't even know what he's going to say)? Is your angelic heart open only to Christians of your own kind? Since the Jews are so unbearable in your noble heart, why do you bother to ask them to lend money, so when Sherlock accuses Antonio, I will take it as a rebuke that Antonio deserves, because his heart is not like his Clear and noble as advertised. Mr. Antonio, many times you have scolded me in the exchange, saying that I was exploiting profits, but I always swallowed my breath, shrugged my shoulders, and did not argue with you, because it is the characteristic of our nation to endure persecution. You call me a heretic, a murderous dog, and spit on my jewish robe, just because I'm earning some interest on my own money. Well, it looks like you've come to me for help now; you came to see me and you said, "Sherlock, we want some money," you said to me. You spit on my beard and kicked me with your feet as if I were a wild dog at your door; and now you come and ask me for money, what shall I tell you? Shall I say something like, "Can a dog make money? Can a bad dog lend a man three thousand dollars?" Or should I bend over and humbly like a minion and say respectfully, " Good sir, you spit on me last Wednesday; one day you kicked me; another day you scold me as a dog; should I lend you so much money to repay you for so much grace?" video In the end, Antonio was of course unscathed. His prestige was even greater than yesterday, he gained friendship and more wealth. At this time, the director also took the audience to the climax of the film: the Duke of Venice announced that he would confiscate all of Sherlock. money, and deprived Shylock of his life by the Venetian law that "Jews, directly or indirectly, who attempt to murder Christians shall be punished by death." At this time, Antonio showed everyone his big heart. Half of Sherlock's money will be confiscated, and the remaining half will be entrusted to Antonio, and when he dies, it will be returned to his daughter Jessica. But the premise is that Sherlock must give up his Jewish identity and convert to Christianity. Sherlock is a Jew with a strong self-esteem, and there is nothing crueler than letting him give up his identity, although he also cherishes money and life. When you see Sherlock holding a Jewish holy relic after hearing the sentence, weeping bitterly; when you see that he is unattended in the face of both Judaism and Christianity at the end, we see the "superior" Antonio use His own kindness and tolerance have carried out the most cruel torture to this "inferior". This film shocked me a lot, whether it's the director's efforts to correct the old understanding of this Shakespeare play, or the almost perfect performance of Al Pacino, let us start to re-examine Shakespeare's real "The Merchant of Venice" , and also let us re-examine the barbarism and cruelty behind the democracy, equality, and even civilization of the West.
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