As I get started on reading all Shakespeare, starting with the merchant of Venice was interesting in that it’s a tragic sort of comedy. Listening to the BBC Shakespeare Session adaptation alongside my reading, it’s chilling to see this as a story of forced conversion and for that conversion to read as a tragedy today. At the same time, a lot of great romcom style moments! But I can’t give it five stars because it’s deeply anti Semitic.

Character I’d want to play? Portia! If not her?Bassanio, because then I get to be with Portia