The Merchant of Venice, 1887?: Sir Henry Irving (1838-1905) as Shylock.

Irving gave Shyloch a new dignity marking a shift towards modern, more sympathetic interpretations. This portrayal aroused great interest and debate. "It would be superfluous now to dilate upon the qualities of Mr. Irving's Shylock. All the familiar points were last night repeated, and a few new ones brought to light. The scene with Tubal in the third act is as rich as ever in the passionate expression of joy over Antonio's losses, mingled with grief for Jessica's elopement, while the picture of relentless hunger for revenge in the trial scene is more impressive than before. It goes, too, without saying that the special quality of the actor's reading of the part, the inherent dignity, namely of the old Jew's character, and his real superiority to the mob of Christians who deride him, still remains the great feature of the impersonation." Lyceum: Morning Post (London) May 17,1887: courtesy of 19th C. British Library Newspapers. Irving's 1879 production of Merchant, with Ellen Terry as Portia, ran for 250 nights. Copyright 1888 by Gebbie & Co. Furness Image Collection.