oddly enough, a religious play
I recently saw the new movie Merchant of Venice (based on Shakespeare's play of that name), which I highly recommend. When I read the play in junior highI wasn't as Jewishly literate as I am today- so I missed a lot of insights that I notice now. A few thoughts:

1. The role of lashon hara (literally, "evil tongue" or gossip): I'd always thought Shylock's resentment was against Christian anti-Semitism generally. But my sense of the movie is that his resentment is directed at Antonio individually; apparently, Antonio had been calling Shylock a dog, etc. Obvious lesson: lashon hara can be dangerous.

2. One reason why the play is not quite realistic (other than the obvious point that merchants don't run around demanding actual flesh in contracts): if Shylock had in fact sought to mutilate a well-connected gentile, the organized Jewish community would have used the threat of excommunication to prevent him from bringing suit. Why? Because it had a strong interest in preventing Jews from doing anything that would provoke Christian retaliation - and bringing a lawsuit calling for the mutilation of a Christian merchant would certainly fill the bill.