SOURCE: "Portia: Shakespeare's Matlock?," in Cardozo Studies in Law and Literature, Vol. V, No. 1, Spring, 1993, pp. 57-64.

In the following essay, Halio examines The Merchant of Venice as a play concerned with "mercy in the context of justice."

Much has been written about Shakespeare's legal prowess—or lack of it—in The Merchant of Venice.* However intrinsically interesting these discourses are—and a good many of them are extremely interesting—I feel compelled to argue that almost all of it is irrelevant. Shakespeare was, first and foremost, a dramatist who made his fortune at the box office. His plays were intended to be "get pennies," sure to attract good audiences that would pay their penny at the gate and sometimes another penny for a seat in the gallery. His plays enjoyed popularity, if we can judge by the number that were published by 1600—with or without his authorization...