Shylock

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In the Globe Theatre Company's production of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock was played by Norbert Kentrup.

About Norbert Kentrup

Norbert Kentrup started his acting career in Bremen in 1970, and then worked in Frankfurt between 1973 - 1981. He has also worked in Bochum and Zurich.

Norbert is the co-founder of the Bremer Shakespeare Company, and has worked with them since 1983 as an actor, director and administrator. Past roles include Falstaff (in both Henry IV and The Merry Wives of Windsor) and the title roles in Othello, King Lear and Timon of Athens. He has also directed The Taming of the Shrew, Anthony and Cleopatra and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. His company was the first to perform at the Globe site, when they staged The Merry Wives of Windsor in April 1993.

Norbert founded the International Shakespeare Globe Centre in Germany, and has worked there in conjunction with Globe Education since 1992. In 1993/4 Norbert took part in the International Hamlet Project with Globe Education.

In 1999 he will be the visiting professor at the University of Toronto and Director of the Helen Phelan Playhouse. He will return to Bremen in the year 2000.

Click on the numbered links to follow Norbert's journey as he creates and plays the character of Shylock in the Globe Theatre.

Norbert Kentrup - Introduction

The rehearsals for the Globe's 1998 Theatre Season take place in a converted warehouse in O’Meara Street; about 5 minutes walk from the Globe theatre itself. The rehearsal room is very large and has an outline of the Globe stage marked out in tape on the floor; there are also 2 pillars in the room. These arrangements help the actors to prepare for working on the Globe stage. The actors will not rehearse on the Globe stage until the technical rehearsal, although some classes are held on the stage.

Each day each actor will receive his/her ‘call’ which is the time s/he is expected to report for rehearsal. During the rehearsal period an actor's day will vary considerably, an actor may rehearse scenes, attend a class (voice, text and movement) or have a costume fitting with the wardrobe department. A typical day might begin at 10.00am and finish at 6.30pm – sometimes there are also evening calls.

During the rehearsal period (particularly at the beginning) an actor will research his/her character. To help the actors the assistant director will find relevant books, pictures etc. and bring these to rehearsal. Extracts from books and pictures are often stuck onto the rehearsal room walls. Actors will also experiment with using props in rehearsal; these will be rough versions of the final prop and will help them to build the prop into the scene. Similarly some form of rehearsal costume will be worn e.g. long skirts for the women, this will help actors to get used to moving, sitting etc. in their costume. In particular actors will use the actual shoes they will wear in performance during rehearsal. This is to wear the shoes ‘in’, as they are made using Elizabethan techniques and there is no specified ‘left’ and ‘right’ foot. Many actors also feel that wearing the correct shoes helps them to ‘get into’ character.

The companies have 6 weeks of rehearsal before the technical and dress rehearsals Generally the beginning of this period is spent improvising around the text and in development of character; towards the end of these 6 weeks actors will rehearse scenes in detail and run parts of the play. The exact method of working in rehearsal is established and shaped by the director.

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Norbert Kentrup - Character Notes 1

Norbert is a German actor playing Shylock at the Globe Theatre in London. This is important for Norbert as he feels it will enable him to make a personal connection with the character of Shylock – he will know what it is like to be an ‘alien’ in the country in which he lives and works. At the moment he is collecting all the information he can, which he might use and develop for his portrayal of Shylock.

Norbert is concerned that the difficult, or ugly parts of the text are not cut in this production. He feels that it is essential that these moments are explored and confronted.

One of the biggest challenges for Norbert at present is to play a major role in English. He began learning English 1 ½ years ago – which is a relatively short period of time in which to learn a language. At present he is exhausted by the effort of thinking, speaking and interpreting Shakespeare in English.

One of the earliest elements of the play to be developed in rehearsal is the conflict between generations – between Shylock and his daughter Jessica. Norbert is exploring the harshness of this relationship; he feels that Jessica would hate Shylock and that they would show no politeness to one another. Norbert is exploring each scene in rehearsal word by word, trying to find and to play the emotions in each scene. He is anxious not to fix any aspects of his performance too early in the rehearsal process, for Norbert it is important to react to each moment as it develops on the rehearsal room floor. He is concentrating on the key elements of words, situation, space, relationships and emotions – these are the elements which will combine together in his performance and interpretation of the role of Shylock.

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Norbert Kentrup - Character Notes 2

Norbert is now exploring Shylock's insecurity, he feels that Shylock is afraid to dine with Bassanio and Antonio – he is an alien in Venice and insecure in certain situations. Norbert feels that Shylock is obsessed with his own thoughts and feelings.

The process of rehearsal for The Merchant of Venice is quite different from the way Norbert works in Germany – for this production there is a great deal more discussion and improvisation of ideas or moments that are not actually in the text. Norbert recently had a ‘character session’ where the other actors explore the character of Shylock and can question him in role (in effect, hotseating). He has also compiled lists of what is said about his character and what Shylock says about himself.

Norbert is a founder member of the Bremer Shakespeare Company, in his work with this company he takes a very different approach to productions. The company begins with a concept of what they would like to tell or communicate with their production of a play. They then explore the ways in which the text conforms to, or deviates from this concept and develop the production accordingly.

As part of his research for the role of Shylock Norbert has visited a synagogue and spent the Sabbath with a Jewish family. Norbert continually returns to the question of anti- Semitism in the play. Is The Merchant of Venice an anti-Semitic play? Most Jewish people that Norbert has talked to so far interpret the play as the story of one person, not the Jews – if Shylock's actions are viewed as the actions of one person then the play is not anti-Semitic. Norbert is aware, however that there are many different interpretations of this issue.

Norbert feels that when Jessica elopes with Lorenzo she symbolically dies for him, this is a personal tragedy for Shylock and influences all his future actions in the play.

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Norbert Kentrup - Character Notes 3

Norbert is now trying to work with the iambic pentameter and to find the appropriate stress for each word. He likes to walk around while saying his lines so that the rhythm goes through his body. Norbert also works through the text deciding where the comma's should go in a speech; he then tries to find the energy that exists in the lines from comma to comma which helps him to find the emotional sense, or driving thought of each line.

At this time as part of the rehearsal process the whole company went away for a residential week to an old air craft base where they created the appropriate environment for their characters and acted out the scenes that are not in the play. In other words what happens to the characters when they are not on stage. This is helpful because it gives the cast a common memory, which they can draw on in later rehearsals. A list of these improvisations is attached, the most interesting thing for Norbert was the fact that he could act out scenes that were not in the play in ‘real’ time.

Norbert may now sing a Kiddish (a Jewish song of mourning) before the beginning of the third act, as Jessica's marriage to a Christian means that she has died for Shylock.

At this time Norbert is also considering the moment of Shylock's conversion, in many ways this is the hardest moment of the play. After research, which included discussing this issue with the Jewish family he visited, Norbert decided that Shylock converts in name only – he continues to practice his Jewish faith privately. In his lecture Imagining Jews in Shakespeare's England James Shapiro describes several instances of ‘false’ conversions in Shakespeare's time. Shylock's final exit leaves many questions unanswered; in many ways his story is not completed. At this stage Norbert does not wish to make any firm decisions about how he might deal with this final moment; he wants to really explore the situation and the spirit of the scene.

At the moment the company are working with what Norbert would describe as an approach based on Stanislavsky's methods. He would normally work in a manner which was more physical in nature.

Norbert has insisted that he retains his harsh or difficult lines, e.g. "I hate him for he is a Christian". When Laurence Olivier played Shylock this line was cut. For Norbert it is very important for Shylock to have two sides – first he wants to receive love and when he does not get this he begins to hate. Norbert wants the audience to see this conflict in Shylock's character.

For Norbert there is no flesh on the part of Shylock, it is bones only – in other words he feels that there is not one word too many in the text. Normally Norbert would cut a lot of lines but much of what Shylock says moves the play forward – every line is a key line.

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Norbert Kentrup - Character Notes 4

Shylock's story after Jessica's elopement is now for Norbert one of revenge. He tells Salerio and Solanio, "The villainy you teach me I will execute.." it is also noticeable for Norbert that Shylock cannot talk about his feelings for Jessica, only his bond.

Norbert is now keen to work on the Globe stage and to run the whole play. He has increasingly noticed the different acting styles used by actors from different countries and cultures and he is constantly learning about what it means to work with an international company of actors. One example of these different styles is use of eye contact, some actors believe that eye contact is essential between characters, while others do not feel it to be so important. It is interesting to note that in ‘reality’ we often do not make eye contact with the person we are speaking to, particularly if a situation, or moment is difficult.

Norbert is conscious that he must now find the depth and range of emotion to play everything which happens to Shylock during the course of the play. He will have to find different levels on which to do this and to offer the audience the opportunity to respond to Shylock in various ways.

At this stage in rehearsal Norbert feels able to make some decisions, although he still tries not to fix moments rigidly. He has decided that Shylock agrees to the bond as a joke, as a type of barter arrangement with Antonio. He has been asked many times ‘does Shylock really want to kill Antonio?’ Norbert believes that he does, Shylock believes he is right to ask for payment of his bond – "What judgment shall I dread doing no wrong?" (Act 4 Scene 1). For Norbert this belief is Shylock's mistake; he feels Shylock believes Antonio must suffer for the sins of Christians – Lorenzo specifically.

Shylock's mistake is that he is not merciful; Norbert feels that mercy is the aim of our society but we must accept that we are not always merciful – it is a quality to aspire to. It is Shylock the person, not the Jew that is not merciful – it is possible that the Jewish community in Venice would not accept Shylock's actions as a just revenge.

Norbert sees Portia as a strong and manipulating character who is motivated by desire for happiness in her marriage to Bassanio rather than the desire to save Antonio's life. Antonio's death would have a negative effect their marriage.

Norbert now feels ready to perform on the Globe stage and is looking forward to working with an audience.

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Norbert Kentrup - Character Notes 5

Norbert ideally likes to have 2 hours to prepare for a performance. He likes to go through every line and to think about it again. Before and during the performance Norbert likes to ‘get into’ character by staying isolated from the other actors. Most of the actors chat to each other in the green room in between scenes, but Norbert likes to use the time to concentrate on the next scene of the play.

Before Act 3 Norbert always goes down to the stage to listen to Marcello Magni, who plays Launcelot Gobbo. During the interval Marcello entertains the audience and Norbert uses the sound of their laughter to deepen his sense of Shylock's depression – others are happy while Shylock is alienated from their enjoyment. Norbert also goes back stage to listen before the beginning of Act 4. At this point in the play a Christian song is sung, listening to the song helps Norbert to place Shylock in a Christian world and gives him the impetus with which to enter the trial scene.

Before each performance Norbert tries to think of ways in which he can make that performance better than the last. He is particularly concerned to break down barriers between actor and audience, he also looks for new ways to communicate with the audience and to use their responses in his performance,

The reactions of the audience to the character of Shylock vary greatly from performance to performance. Sometimes Norbert has to fight against an openly racist reaction to the character of Shylock – as they hiss at him and cheer when he is defeated in the trial scene. Audience reactions in this scene can be quite extreme – Shylock is either booed or cheered. Sometimes these extreme reactions lead to debate between audience members.

After one performance some members of the audience were so distressed by the negative reactions of other audience members to Shylock that they waited to talk to Norbert after the show.

Norbert feels that at present the Christians in the play appear as very attractive characters and that the negative elements of these characters have not been developed in this production.

Norbert is now concentrating on to trying to present Shylock's internal conflict to an audience. He feels that Shylock would like to show mercy to Antonio, but he also wants justice for himself - the trial is his opportunity to obtain what he views as justice. Norbert would like the audience to understand this conflict and to show them that the decision to pursue his bond is a difficult one for Shylock. Ultimately, however, it is the only course of action he feels is left open to him.

As the season progresses the line "For suff’rance is the badge of all our tribe" (Act 1 Scene 3) is becoming increasingly important to Norbert's portrayal of Shylock – it is now at the centre of his performance. Norbert is now working to ensure that in every performance he offers something ‘fresh’ to the audience.

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Norbert Kentrup - Character Notes 6

At this point, just over half way through the run of the play, The Merchant of Venice was given a 3 week break from performance. This was to give the actors in the White Company the opportunity to rehearse full time for their second play of the season, The Honest Whore and to open the production with a week of performances, before the play went into repertory with The Merchant of Venice. Norbert is not in The Honest Whore, this means that he has been able to take a 2 week break to return to Germany, while the rest of the company have been busy with rehearsal, technical rehearsal and previews.

As the company had not performed The Merchant of Venice for some while they were called to rehearsal before the show for a line run of the play (for which the actors just say their lines, without movement). In the current UK theatre climate it is unusual for an actor to be asked to return to a play after such a long break - rep is becoming rarer and increasingly actors are employed with a company for one play only. The company was also exhausted from their work on The Honest Whore. Norbert found that he was the most relaxed member of the company, partly because he had been able to take a break, but also because of the way he is used to working with the Bremer Shakespeare Company. When he is working with his company Norbert would normally be playing in 4 or 5 different productions at the same time, any one production is not played more that 4 or 6 times a month, and there is a big repertoire of plays. Therefore he is used to leaving a play for period of time and returning to it later. Norbert feels that training in German Drama schools orientates actors towards working in this way.

For Norbert it was really good to return to the Globe and to hear the play again. He also greatly enjoyed the performance, the break gave Norbert and the whole company the opportunity to see the conflicts of the play afresh. The week before Norbert had prepared thoroughly, he read the scenes again and spoke the lines to hear the language and the rhythm of the speeches. Norbert's main difficulty during this time has been with his stockings, Norbert has been finding it difficult to keep them up and in one performance they started to fall down during the trial scene, which made it hard for Norbert to stay focused. At the moment the weather is very hot, and the heat in the Globe is quite intense. Audience members, particularly in the middle galleries, sit directly in the sun during the matinee performances. The actors have found that they have to fight for the attention of the audience and to hold their focus on the stage. This requires lots of energy from the actors. The actors themselves are not so effected by the heat as they are protected from the sun by the heavens over the stage.

Norbert's brother and his son came to see the play during this period and afterwards they talked a lot about its themes and content. Norbert found it particularly interesting to talk about the theme of generation conflicts (as depicted in the relationship between Shylock and Jessica), and the influence of Germany history on contemporary interpretations of the play, with three generations of his family. Norbert also hopes he was able to convince his nephew not to become an actor!

After the Globe theatre season ends Norbert will go to Canada to work at the University of Toronto. One of his first projects there will be to direct Twelfth Night. Norbert is busy researching for his production of the play which will have a cast of 9 women and 1 man. Obviously this is an interesting casting decision and will greatly influence the type of production that Norbert directs. Norbert feels that most of the characters in the play have an ambiguous gender and that the only character who is sure of his ‘male’ identity is Malvolio. When he is not performing Norbert is now working on his ideas for the production.

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Norbert Kentrup - Activities

The activities have been devised assuming that students know the story of the play.

1. Rehearsal calls

2. Improvisation

3. Adjectives

4. What is said about Shylock

5. Animals

6. Shylock's tragedy?

7. Authenticity

8. To cut or not to cut?

9. A German actor playing Shylock

10. Revenge

11. Ways of working

12. Eye contact

13. Imagining Jews in Shakespeare's England

14. Audience Reaction

15. Portrayal of the Christians

16. Shylock's Decision

17. "For suff’rance is the badge of all our tribe"

18. One play, or many?

19. Twelfth Night

1. Rehearsal calls

Look at the copy of the call sheet for the first 4 days of rehearsal. Work out what Norbert would be doing on each day.

What do you think would be the chief concerns and demands on Norbert at the beginning of the rehearsal period?

2. Improvisation

During their residential week away the cast of The Merchant of Venice improvised the scenes which were not in the play (see attached list).

Try improvising some of these scenes. What do you learn about characters or events which may be useful in your interpretation of text?

What role should improvisation play in the rehearsal process? Do you think it can provide actors with a valuable insight into a text?

3. Adjectives

One way Norbert worked on his character was to write a list of adjectives which he felt described Shylock....

Either: From what you know about Shylock write your own list of adjectives to describe him.

Or: Choose a character you have played in Drama, or know well from a book and write a list of adjectives which describe him/her.

4. What is said about Shylock?

One exercise Norbert used early in rehearsal was to write down everything that is said about Shylock and everything that Shylock says about himself.

Try this exercise for yourself – make 2 lists, one for Shylock's own comments and one for those of other characters. When you have finished compare each list, what are the differences and similarities?

5. Animals

One exercise actors often use in rehearsal is to decide which animal most reminds them of their character. This animal might then influence the way they choose to speak and move as their character.

What animal does Shylock remind you of? Find evidence in the text to support your decision.

Try this exercise for yourself, maybe with characters from a book you are reading or a television programme. Make sure you explain why the character reminds you of that animal.

6. Shylock's tragedy?

How far can The Merchant of Venice be described as Shylock's tragedy? Are there any comic elements in Shylock's character?

7. Authenticity

The production of The Merchant of Venice is probably the most ‘authentic’ production the Globe has staged to date. As You Like It is not so authentic as there is action in the yard throughout the performance. In Shakespeare's time it is believed that the actors would not have used the yard as an acting area. The main reason for this is that it would simply be too dangerous for the actors to move among the audience. Some scholars of the period might question whether the reconstructed Globe should stage any productions which are not ‘authentic’.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you think that directors at the Globe should aim to make their productions as authentic as possible or should they experiment with different ways of using the theatre space?

8. To cut or not to cut?

Norbert is determined that potentially difficult lines should not be cut in this production e.g. "I hate him for he is a Christian".

What are your thoughts on this issue? Past productions have cut many of Shylock's lines, which they have seen, as difficult or potentially offensive. If you were directing the Globe's production of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ what would you do? – Give reasons for your decision.

9. A German actor playing Shylock

Much is being made in the British press of the fact that a German actor is playing Shylock.

What is your opinion of this piece of casting? What effect might it have on the way the audience views the character of Shylock?

10. Revenge

Norbert feels that Shylock peruses his bond in revenge for the ‘death’ of his daughter.

How far do you agree with Norbert?

To what extent can The Merchant of Venice be compared with revenge tragedies of the period?

11. Ways of working

Norbert found that the approach to the rehearsal process for The Merchant of Venice was very different to the way in which he would rehearse with the Bremer Shakespeare Company.

Re read Norbert's comments which describe these differences.

What do you feel are the advantages and disadvantages of each method of working?

Which method would you prefer? – Give reasons for your answer.

12. Eye contact

Norbert has found that theatre tradition in different countries places a varying level of importance on eye contact.

Re read Norbert's comments on eye contact.

How important do you think eye contact is as a means of communication between actors?

Choose one scene or key moment in the play. Write notes to each actor detailing how they might perform this scene suggesting how they might use, or not use, eye contact to communicate.

13. Audience Reaction

Re read Norbert's comments on the different reactions of the audience.

Do you think the actors should respond to the reactions of the audience?

Do you think there is any way the director can seek to control the reactions of the audience through his staging and interpretation of the play?

Do you think actors should ever change their performance because of previous audience reaction?

14. Portrayal of the Christians

Norbert feels that the portrayal of Christians in the Globe's production is very positive.

In what ways can the actions of the Christians in the play be viewed as negative? Identify the lines in the text which would support a negative reading of these characters.

If you were directing the production how would you choose to portray the Christian characters?

15. Shylock's Decision

Re read Norbert's comments regarding Shylock's decision to pursue his bond.

Do you agree with Norbert?

How can Norbert communicate Shylock's conflict to the audience? Suggest lines he should stress, or moves he should make to show the audience how he feels about Antonio and his decision to pursue the bond.

16. "For suff’rance is the badge of all our tribe"

Norbert now feels that this line is central to his performance.

Why do you think Norbert finds such inspiration in this line?

Do you agree that it is central to the character of Shylock?

Are there any other lines which could be central to Norbert's performance?

17. One play, or many?

Norbert is used to performing in 4 to 6 plays concurrently, but for some of the White Company this is the first time they have performed two plays in repertory.

What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of each way of working?

What system of working do you think would be most appropriate for the Globe?

18. Twelfth Night

Norbert is currently planning a production of Twelfth Night

Are there any elements of the character of Shylock, or of The Merchant of Venice as a whole which you think might be of use to Norbert when thinking about Twelfth Night?

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