The audience would have more sympathy for Shylock in the movie version by the 'humanising' sources that Michael Reford has added to the film. The director has tried to approach the character of Shylock with a sympathetic view, instead of showing Shylock's brutal aspects only. Michael Redford sees him as a 'person' before thinking of his immorality in the story and implies that he is an example of the victims of conservative culture. The movie opens with contextual information about Jews that shows the discrimination against Jewish people in Venice. Prostitutes and Jewish people with red hats come out quite frequently in the movie, also the darkness in the background and religious music throughout the film make the mood even more wretched. These elements in fact prove that Venice was morally corrupt and racism existed in Venice. The original soliloquy of Shylock, when Bassanio comes to meet him is dramatically cut in the film. Shylock merely mutters, grimaces at him and seems less like a villain than in the play. Also, later in the scene, when he sobs and walks out in bare feet looking for his daughter, shows Shylock's emotion and is not in the play version.
On the other hand, the play mainly uses Shylock to build up to a climax therefore he seems merely immoral. 'Mark what Jacob did: When Laban.." - he refers to the person who he follows, his ancestor Jacob and this shows that Shylock is a dishonest character alike his ancestor and is despicable. Shylock also compares himself to him, who Christians regard as a scheming character and had to be broken by God before he changed his dishonest ways. This foreshadows that Shylock will be broken by Christians too. Asides make Shylock seem two-faced - ''[Asides]How like a fawning publican he looks!' This also creates dramatic irony because only the audience is aware of his intention.
Shylock’s speech about Jewish people’s identities is an expression of his anger, that he is right to do whatever he is doing. He uses repetition in his speech, almost shouts it out loud at others in the movie. Shylock overly controls his daughter as well. There are a few hints that his daughter will betray him in the story, for example, '...I have a father, you a daughter lost.' When she locks the door and use of asides show that she is not open minded to her father. She sees her self as different - "I am a daughter to his blood I am not to his manners." In the play, when Shylock realises that his daughter has left, he is seen furious for losing his money but not his daughter whereas in the movie, he sobs and walks out in the rain to find his daughter. The director cut any parts that show Jessica hates her Jewish identity and focused on her love. From this scene, the audience would feel pity to Shylock for losing his only blood relative.
At the end of the trial at the court, Shylock is forced to be Christian and loses his Jewish identity. In the film, we do not see that Antonio receives the good news that his ships were not stranded and have returned safely after all at the end of the film, seems the director
The modern audience’s view is culturally open, which is more likely to be the movie version of The Merchant of Venice and has a different view of characters as well as the story, compared to the original view of the play. Pictures of racist preaching, the ghetto and all the background facts in the past are in the film, but not in the original play. The reinterpretation of the play has focused more on the fairness and culture of Venice by revealing the background facts in the past. The perspective is different too. The film version seems more serious than the play and the tragedy is emphasised.
