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
Billy S. Billy S. "Billy S." is a song recorded by Canadian musician Skye Sweetnam. It was released as her debut major label single in 2003, and was the first single from her album, "Noise From the Basement". The song was also featured on the soundtrack to the movie "How to Deal". The song's title, "Billy S." stands for "Billy Shakespeare", a reference to William Shakespeare, whom Skye refers to throughout the song. Sweetnam thought that the title "Billy Shakespeare" was too long, and decided to shorten it. The music video for "Billy S.", filmed in Southern California, features Skye Sweetnam recording