I have never even been in a play before, let alone directed one. I have however, watched many different plays and I think I have a general idea for what I wantg each character to be. Instead of writing all my ideas in one massive paragraph, I'm goin to list the characters and how I want them to be portrayed.

Antonio: The rich best friend. He seems to be longing for something but he does not know what it is. He tends to let his friends, mainly Bassanio, take advantage of his kindness and money because he tends to be a bit of a push over, not that he really believes he is.

Bassanio: The romantic. A young man with extreme money issues. When he does end up in a bit of a pickle, he believes in the saying "You need to spend money to earn money" or in his case get it back. I picture him as over dramatic in speech, posturing, and overall movement, mainly due to his new found passion for his new instrest.

Potria: The picky heiress. I don't know how many of you have seen the movie "Aladin", but I believe the character Jasmine was modeled after Portia's charcter. Portia seems to know what she wants in a man and will not settle for anything less. I believe she too would have extended motions and facial expressions when speaking ill of her suitors. I also believe she would have excellent posture because she holds herself in high regard.

Shylock: The bad guy. Shylock is your average Italian Jew. Kicked around all his life by the overwhelming amount of Christians in the area, as well as most likely being told by his father about the evils of them, he now has his opertunity to strike back. I picture him with his frame hunched over when speaking to himself and the audience. Peering up at Bassanio and Antonio. When speaking to them having his face wrinkled in disgust. His hands constantly wringing, showing his love for money.

That's basically how I believe each charcter should look and act.

*Tina