Shakespeare criticism is in trouble. One might not guess that from the ever-increasing rate at which it is produced, or from the obvious success its practitioners have had in reaching the goals they set for themselves, or from the substantial agreement on crucial plays and problems and methods. The power of The Merchant of Venice has moved actors and audiences, critics and readers to interpretations opposed so diametrically that they seem to have been provoked by different plays. Most disagreements have centred on character. The thematic values identified by those who see the play as a conflict between the Hebrew and Christian dispensations point to rejection of the wealth returned in abundance to the Christian company and to a demonstration of the virtue of impoverished love. The attempt to state the meaning of the play is not much more likely to produce an accurate account than an attempt to state the meaning of life.