“‘All that glisters is not gold’: Gender Representation and Theatrical Performances of The Merchant of Venice from 1998 to 2015”

Authors

Catherine Hollingsworth, Brigham Young University
Rick Duerden, Brigham Young University

Keywords

gender representation, theatrical performance, The Merchant of Venice, Judaism

College

Humanities

Department

English

Abstract

The Merchant of Venice poses problems concerning the representation—a social and cultural construction—of gender and Judaism. Some critics wonder whether or not this play should be performed now: could and should modern audiences experience The Merchant of Venice? This study argues that this play should be performed today and has merit, not only for aesthetic but also for social reasons. The play forces audiences to confront how gender is represented in theatrical productions and question our own perspectives. What we gain from this experience is the following: by addressing these concerns in the play, the audience recognizes the unjust (and sometimes culturally biased) treatment of individuals in society and, consequently, learns to become a more tolerant, inclusive, and merciful society—employing the Christian mercy the play sometimes fails at but encourages.

Recommended Citation

Hollingsworth, Catherine and Duerden, Rick (2016) "“‘All that glisters is not gold’: Gender Representation and Theatrical Performances of The Merchant of Venice from 1998 to 2015”," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2016: Iss. 1, Article 124.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2016/iss1/124