The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice (Antonio) must default on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and it is best known for Shylock and the famous "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech on humanity. Also notable is Portia's speech about "the quality of
Jessica Bendinger Jessica Bendinger Jessica Bendinger (born November 10, 1966) is an American screenwriter and novelist. She has written several films, including 2000's "Bring It On", 2004's "First Daughter" and 2006's "Aquamarine". She was also a writer and creative consultant for "Sex and the City", as well as a producer of the 2005 film "The Wedding Date", starring Debra Messing. She also wrote and directed "Stick It", released in April 2006 as her directorial debut. Bendinger is a former model who worked for designer Stephen Sprouse and appeared on the runway in the film "Slaves of New York". She was named by