Harriet Walter contributes a hissingly vivid Lady Macbeth, Trevor Peacock a powerful Shylock.

ECONOMIST: Shakespeare on tape: Audio-Bard | The

There is no need to dwell on how the other bourgeois character in "The Merchant of Venice, " Shylock, is characterized.

WSJ: Cultural Conversation: The New Theories of Moral Sentiments

It was the first ghetto in the world, and was the reason why Shakespeare had his character Shylock live in Venice.

BBC: Shakespeare��s Italy

In the real world of 2012, it remains a good sign, a signal of hope, whenever a culture moves past Shylock and toward Romeo.

FORBES: From Shylock to Romeo, Iraq Blooms