The Merchant of Venice "play Antonio as gay". Joseph Fiennes, however, who plays Bassanio, encouraged a homoerotic interpretation and, in fact, surprised Irons with the kiss on set, which was filmed in one take. Fiennes defended his choice, saying "I would never invent something before doing my detective work in the text. If you look at the choice of language … you'll read very sensuous language. That's the key for me in the relationship. The great thing about Shakespeare and why he's so difficult to pin down is his ambiguity. He's not saying they're gay or they're straight, he's leaving it up to his
Stereotypes of Jews in literature anti-Semitism. However, also like Shylock, he occasionally shows evidence of humanity (albeit very rarely). It has been suggested that "The Jew of Malta" influenced Shakespeare's play, "The Merchant of Venice". Despite the fact that Shakespeare probably never met a Jew, "The Merchant of Venice" includes a character named Shylock who has become the archetype of the Jewish moneylender stereotype. Derek Cohen asserts that the Shylock character is "the best known Jew in English." Shylock is a money-lender and was often portrayed with a hooked nose and bright red wigs. Shylock's character has been criticized for its anti-Semitic nature, although some