The Merchant of Venice live in a ghetto protected by Christian guards. Shakespeare's play may be seen as a continuation of this tradition. The title page of the Quarto indicates that the play was sometimes known as "The Jew of Venice" in its day, which suggests that it was seen as similar to Marlowe's "The Jew of Malta". One interpretation of the play's structure is that Shakespeare meant to contrast the mercy of the main Christian characters with the vengefulness of a Jew, who lacks the religious grace to comprehend mercy. Similarly, it is possible that Shakespeare meant Shylock's forced conversion to Christianity to
Shakespeare by the Sea, Newfoundland the Sea Festival Inc. is a registered charity (No. 891781841RR0001) with the Canada Revenue Agency and is a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association and the Institute of Outdoor Drama.<br><br> 1993 The Tempest 1994 King Lear 1995 Twelfth Night 1996 Macbeth and Romeo & Juliet 1997 Macbeth, Hamlet, I Hate Hamlet and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead 1998 A Midsummer Night's Dream 1999 Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III 2000 The Mousetrap, Julius Caesar (play), Love's Labour's Lost 2001 Dial M for Murder, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice and A Streetcar Named Desire (play) 2002 The