Uh . . . how exactly am I supposed to rate Shakespeare on Goodreads, of all places? Five stars for the excellent poetry; one star deducted for the rampant anti-Semitism?

We read this play for our local book club, and I realized that my eccentric upbringing as a homeschooler, who read almost exclusively older literature in high school, aids me in understanding Shakespeare. It really is like a different language, but one that feels vaguely familiar to me. For those members of our book club who could not relate to the old language, reading the play was not an enjoyable experience.

One member did have a good suggestion: to read the plot summary first and then watch the play (or a movie of the play) without needing to worry about the meaning of each word.

I had never read the Merchant of Venice before, and I went into the story blind. But I really enjoyed it. You have Antonio, a Venetian merchant, who basically has a diversified stock portfolio, and has tied up all his capital in shipping ventures. Then you have Bassanio, who needs cash to look the part when he woos the beautiful Portia, and needs a loan from his friend, Antonio. ("Friend" feels weak. This is more like an Anne of Green Gables type "bosom friend." :-P) Antonio has no ready cash but tells Bassanio he can use Antonio's credit to obtain a loan from the wealthy Jew, Shylock. Shylock has plenty of valid reasons for hating Antonio's guts (like, I don't know, he SPIT on him???), but, perhaps most importantly, Antonio threatens Shylock's business, because he loans out money without interest, unlike Shylock.

So Shylock proposes an unusual contract: he will loan Bassanio the money on Antonio's credit, but if Antonio defaults on the loan, he will take a literal pound of Antonio's flesh. That sets up the main action of the plot.

Meanwhile, Bassanio goes to woo fair Portia, who is bound to pick a suitor based on a ridiculous test fashioned by her dead father: each suitor must select a box--either gold, silver, and lead--and if they open the right box, with a picture of Portia inside, then they will be able to marry her.

I could go on and on, but to me the three most fascinating topics were the following: 1) the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio; 2) the way the women in the story have little independence and are forced to resort to extremely creative measures to gain any power; 3) the over-the-top anti-Semitism, illustrating the attitudes of the time, where a Jew could only be good if they would convert to Christianity (remind anyone of, I don't know, the INQUISITION??).

Overall, I am so glad I read this book, if only to read famous lines like "Love is blind" and to experience that feeling of awe when I realized, "Oh, THIS is where that comes from!" Shakespeare, while inaccessible to most, is still influencing modern culture. What a bad-ass! :-P