Reading Shylock’s Dream: A Pathological Miser or an Anxious Dream Interpreter?

Abstract

This study addresses the presentation and interpretation of Shylock’s dream “of money‑bags” in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (c. 1596–1598) and George Granville’s The Jew of Venice (1701). The text argues that, although verbally very similar, the two episodes should be considered within their respective dramaturgical traditions (the Elizabethan and the Restoration), as well as within the different genres into which each play falls. While Granville’s rendition of the dream episode seems merely to contribute to the stereotypical image of a greedy Jew, Shakespeare’s version draws on the conventional employment of dream prophecies in Renaissance tragedies and contributes not only to the unity of the play’s plot, but also adds to the complexity and the tragic overtones of his Shylock.