 Some scholars argue that Bassanio has a change of heart during his travels to Belmont saying that his confessions of love to Portia after the casket scene are truly what he feels.The first known performance of "The Merchant of Venice" was at the court of King James in 1605.Clifford Williams directed a 1965 production of the play that suggestion for the first time that there could be an implication of homosexuality between Antonio and Bassanio.