Never have I been more conflicted about a book than I am about 'The Merchant of Venice'. It's a beautifully written play that tells an engaging story, exploring themes of justice, empathy and morality. However, the overt antisemitism, while a product of its time, is simply not acceptable.

My appreciation would have been considerably higher had the antagonist been anything but a walking stereotype of a Jew as seen through an antisemitic lens. The character's 'redemption' through forced conversion to Christianity is the rotten cherry on top.

Such major narrative problems in an otherwise excellent play make it impossible to give it a fair rating.