The sun., 1908-02-23

| that the average christian meTcnahUB Oh
Venice and their jewish rivals were at no.
time very different in their methods OF
| conducting business.
! v.
In reply to the question how far astray
| touches and phrases in this drama evinced
on the part Of the playwright knowledge OF
! Venetian habits, laws and customs, several
notable points are indicated. Whether or
not the poet drew his character OF Antonio
from the merchant prince Fugger Of Augs-
| burg, and whether or not he was aware
Of the great German exchange house, the
/ Fondaco del Tedeschi, which existed in
Venice. he is certainly alive TO the fact
that the commercial relations between
Venice and Germany we're Of the closest
! description. Shakespeare shows his knowl-
edge Of the fact that with no German city
vas trade more active than with Frank
| fort when he makes ShylOck in his misery
recall his buhness transactions in that
town and the diamond he bought there
| On the other hand. II ShvLoek really ex-
acted habitually the usury for which An
tonic is said to have rated him many a
| time and oft, he did 40 in cOntravention Of
| the law. which established the legal amount
Of interest. and he certainly could not have
recovered usury in any court u Venice.
| Shylock's confidence. however. that he
will receive pure justice from the Vene-
! tian tribunals is true to fact and honorabla
| TO the republic We are reminded that
| Antonio himself recognizes this when he
| says:
| The Duke cannot deny the course OF law:
| For the commodity that strangers have
| With US IN Venice. ~ II he dened.
| VIII much impeach the Justice OF hts STATE:
Since that the trade and prOnt OF the city
| Conslsteth Of all nations.
This was but naked statement of the
| truth about Venices commercial policy:
| the great freedom and security she always
allowed to strangers accounts for much
Of her prosperity, and also for the rooted
| affection which her dependencies bore
toward her. The utmost the Doge can
do for Antonio in the play ia to adjourn the
case while waiting for counsel from Padua.
| No mention in made Of dsmissing the case
altogether. even though it be a case Of a
! Jew against a Christian. Instances, indeed,
where Jews we're protected against robbery
and violence on the part Of individual
| Venetians are not uncommon in the records
| of Venetian courts though the State in
its corporate capacity sometimes plundered
! the Israelites by eXacting large sums for
! permission to remain in Venice. a per-
mission which had TO be renewed every
! Ave years. Shyiock. in a word, was in no
danger so long as he remained within the
| law. Mr.. Brown points out that with
.Jessicd and Lorenzo the case was diferept
They were playing a game infinitely more
dangerous. For a Christian to we'd
Jewess was an offence which would have
brought them both before criminal court,
and placed them in peril Of their lives.
In the second part of his delightful essay
our author turns 20 Shakespeares other
great Venetian play, -Othelo' Here the
poet seems to have kept very close To his
original authority, the seventh novel Of
the Third Decade in Cinthios collection Of
stories called the "Ecatomiti. The name
Of the heroine is the same in tho play and
in the novel, and even certain phrases are
paraphrased from the Italian with great
fidelity. For example. Othcilo. when plead
ing that DesdemOnd may be allowed to go
with him TO Cyprus. says:
I. therefore. beg Il not
| To please the palate OF my appetite.
hut TO be free and bounteous TO her mind.
CinthiO. on his part. says that Desdenond
chose OthellO because she was attracted TO
him not by feminine desire but by the valor
Of the Moor. Our author directs attention to
some curious and suggestive points in which
Shakespeare has departed widely from his
original. In the first place the means by
which IdDo becomes possessed Of the famous
handkerchief are more telling in Cinthio's
story than in the play. The action adds a
touch of blaCker villainv and Of hypocrisy to
the Machiavellian character Of IGOo. and
makes him also an ideal scoundrel. CinthiO
describes the scene thus: DesdemOHG is visit
| ing lagos wife. and in the room is lagos
little child. for whom DesdemOHd has an
affection. Idgo in play. takes up the child
and holds her to Desdemona to kiss, while
with one hand he steals the handkerchief
she is wearing in her girdle. The use Of
the innocent child as the instrument for
hlacLest pertidy heishteas thg whole situa-
tion and gives an opportunity to a great
actor. MIR. Browne has no doubt that
Shakespeare would have retained this fine
scene had il not been needful to make
Emilia aware of the loss OF the .handker-
chief that she may bear testimony to Dcs-
! donOud's innocence when it is too late.
Our author brings out another interesting
difference between the novel and the play.
Cinthio makes the Moor and his lieutenant
IGOO discuss the means by which Desdd-
mona shall he done to death. The Moor