ABSTRACT
In the winter of 1596-97 Richard Burbage got into desperate financial trouble. It came from his father, who died in February 1597, bequeathing his first major source of income, the Theatre, to his elder son Cuthbert, and the new venue, the Blackfriars, to Richard. Both properties were costly gifts. Shylock as moneylender was a distinctly inconspicuous but far from insignificant link between the play's story and the players it was written for in the winter of 1596-97. There is ample evidence that this activity became a potent source of hostility for the performers of the play in its early showings on the Theatre's stage, and to its leading player in particular. Burbage bought the Upper Frater of the Blackfriars site on 4 February 1596 for £600, to which he added the cost of constructing a completely new playhouse inside it.
