The Merchant of Vengeance

Shakespeare & Smythe #4

by Simon Hawke

Will, the fledgling playwright and poet, and Tuck, the would-be actor and rest-of-the-time ostler, have been enjoying their lives on and behind the stage...if only it wasn't for the occasional interruptions: plague, the closing of the theater for reasons of law or finance, and the occasional murder.

As luck would have it, the dramatic twosome must once again play detective in a case that involves the fates of those near and dear to their hearts as well as certain hoped-to- have-been--forgotten family members
.
Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta is all the rage on the London stage, and the young bard wishes to rise to the competition. With companion Tuck at his side, Will makes a sojourn for research purposes into the Elizabethan underworld, where contracts are blood bonds and the quality of mercy is stretched to its very limits. He becomes embroiled in a tangle of unlucky young lovers, anti-Semitism, and rogue justice.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Shakespeare, Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2003

About the author

Also published as J.D. Masters.

He was born Nicholas Valentin Yermakov, but began writing as Simon Hawke in 1984 and later changed his legal name to Hawke. He has also written near future adventure novels under the penname "J. D. Masters" and mystery novels.

Reviews

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh boy, where do I begin with this?
I'm obsessed with Shakespeare and all things Shakespeare, let's get that established right away. Anything precluding to Shakespeare, I WILL find it, read it, listen to it, etc. This little book caught my eye at my used bookstore, A title such as "The Merchant of Vengeance," can't be anything BUT a Shakespeare retelling, or spin-off. I wasn't disappointed upon finishing this book.

I loved the references hidden in this book. Shakespeare often based his plays off events that transpired in his own life. His son Hamnet dies, soon thereafter, Hamlet is being performed at the theaters. This book did not tread lightly when it came to that area of Shakespeare's life incorporated into plays. Of course, the basis for this book was Portia, and the overall plot line of the Merchant of Venice. However, there were leads to Henry IV part 1, Midsummer Night's Dream, MacBeth, and other plays as well.

The storyline itself, lagged a bit once I reached page 100-ish. The female characters seemed to lack depth in comparison to the male protagonists in this story. While the author had the opportunities to develop these female characters, he seemed to choose to develop them through the males' eyes only, rather than give them individual depth.

I still loved this book, this is the first book of the series I have read, and I definitely look forward to reading the books preceding it.

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not having read any of the other books in Hawke’s Shakespeare-as-a-sleuth series I picked this up expecting a fun read. But I was disappointed. The plot, such as it was, just didn’t have much going for it and what little there was felt overly contrived and not very meaty.

Worse yet were the attempts at immersing readers in the Elizabethan period and mind-set. It just didn’t happen, possibly because most everyone in the book – especially Shakepeare and Tuck – sounded like they belonged to the 21st rather than the 16th century.

Perhaps I was expecting too much from this book. I admit to hoping it would be similar to Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwall, a truly entertaining read.

[Redsteve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last of the "Shakespeare and Smythe" books (not the culmination of the series - Hawke just never published any additional sequels). Another fun Elizabethan murder mystery set in the "lost years" of Shakespeare's life. As the earlier books of the series, a quick read and fairly historically accurate, except for some minor anachronisms and the occasional points where 16th Century characters make observations about their society, which, while accurate, sound more like moderns complaining about class issues. Innumerable nods to various Shakespeare plays and quotations.

[Paul Garrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the idea of Shakespeare as a sleuth, but the book didn't live up to my hopes. There was an over-reliance on long expositional conversations. I did enjoy the fictionalized inspiration for the Shakespeare's work and the Shakespearean lines sprinkled throughout.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished reading all 4 books in the series, and in my opinion this one is the best.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loosely suggesting elements for Shakespeare’s play of a similar title, The Merchant of Vengeance touches base with the ignorance, the prejudice, and class consciousness of the Elizabethan Period. The descriptions are not “preachy,” but deal with the twin issues of anti-Semitic racism and gender discrimination in rather stark relief. Fortunately, this is not the main consideration in this murder mystery, though both issues have bearing on the set-up for the murder (I’m not spoiling a mystery review by letting you know that there is a murder, am I?). And, for those who have been following the series which started with A Mystery of Errors, this is the fourth mystery involving a young (not yet famous) William Shakespeare and his friend Tuck. The events of The Merchant of Vengeance take place during the duo’s sojourn with Lord Strange’s Men and just prior to the building of the Globe Theatre.

Does the name “Portia” ring a bell? Her distress upon her father’s cancellation of her betrothal is the precipitating action in this story. The father has discovered that the mother of her intended is a Jewess, making him (by tradition, of course) a “despised Jew.” From this, Hawke weaves together the fates (perhaps, given a scene with Granny Meg, quite literally) of his primary duo and other characters in the cast in an intriguing and, at times, tense fashion. And, I confess that I had a very brief thought about the identity of the murderer early on, but dismissed it as quickly as I thought about said character. To be honest, in almost Agatha Christie fashion, I could have sworn that the perpetrator had an alibi significantly more solid than O.J.’s “ice cream defense.” But the revelation of the murderer was so satisfying, so much like a dramatic scene in the old Perry Mason television show (There were often courtroom confessions in that television series.) that I found myself content with the resolution of the mystery.

In addition, the fun of the series is back, replete with conversations that foreshadow lines in “future” plays by the Bard. One of my favorite parts of these books is when Tuck or one of the players foreshadows a line from such a “future” play and Shakespeare says he might use it. One example would be Tuck’s quoting of his Uncle Thomas in saying, “To thine own self be true.” Shakespeare responds that he wishes he would have thought of that and Tuck responds that he shouldn’t fear because he shall (p. 55). One great example of this was when the two were crossing the London Bridge and noticed a skull of an executed malefactor which reminded them of their fellow player, Will Kemp. The two end up riffing what essentially becomes the gravedigger’s “Yorick” speech from Hamlet (p. 151).

For some readers, this may not mean anything, but I was intrigued by a conversation with Granny Meg in which Elizabeth is tempted to push a friend in a certain direction, but Granny Meg warns her off. “’Because often the best thing is to let people find their own way to help themselves,’ said Granny Meg. ‘The grief that your friend feels now is of her own making. She has engendered it within herself, and now she nurtures it, and cherishes it, and will not let it go. And the reason that she will not let it go so that it serves some purpose for her.’” And eventually, when Elizabeth tries to figure out that purpose, Granny says, “’Your friend’s grief may be her struggle for the answer that she seeks,’ Granny Meg replied, ‘Or else it could be her struggle to avoid facing it. Betimes, when faced with a trying situation, one may already know the answer, but be unable to accept it.’” (p. 173) I appreciated the cautionary tales for people tempted to interfere in their friends’ lives.

It would be difficult to describe much more without providing inadvertent spoilers. Let’s just say that interesting characters from the earlier novels appear and Hawke’s portrait of Elizabethan society has become even more nuanced through the venues he has selected for scenes within this book. It was nice to see that the series did not, as I had feared, run out of steam with Much Ado About Murder. If you’ve liked any of the books in this series, I think you’ll be happy with this one.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the last in the series (although I am hoping for more) and I found this to be the slowest plot line of the four. However, it is still a quick, smooth read that is fun. As with the others in the series, it posits fictional etiologies for unique phrases Shakespeare used as well as some of his plots and characters. The author has a lot of Shakespeare knowledge and puts it to good use. He creates realistic characters who are round and easy to care about (much as the Bard himself did so well). Being immersed in the London of Shakespeare's time was fun and definitely helped me understand some of Shakespeare's work. If you are considering this book and have not read the others in the series I would recommend reading them in the order they were published as character development unfolds over the series. If you are familiar with Shakespeare's plays you will catch a lot of inside jokes and lines from the plays but if you do not have extensive knowledge of the Bard's oeuvre you will still be able to enjoy a fun mystery with great characters.

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good re-telling of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" I loved who the classic characters became within the murder mystery plot. So good to see how Hawke even kept the climactic Courtroom scene.

The only sad thing is that I can't find any more of these books.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good historical fiction - Shakespeare as a young lad.

[Cynthiaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I waited for over a year to get my hands on a copy of this one. And it was worth the wait. Interesting commentary on Jews in "current" media....

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Simon Hawke's Shakespeare mysteries continue to be extremely entertaining. I really enjoyed this one. I also found the afterword on this one to be quite interesting. Good stuff.

[J.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying my foray into historical fiction! I thought it took a little while for this book to get going, but after it did it was quite entertaining.

[Maren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but really enjoyed reading the afterword by the author on whether Shakespeare should be considered racist or not.