Shylock’s Appeal on CBC Audio

Back in 2012, at the end of the Stratford Festival’s season, the CBC arranged to have a mock appeal by Shylock of his conviction in Merchant of Venice, argued under current Canadian law and before an august court of lawyers and judges. Now the CBC’s Sunday Edition has released a 22 minute audio file of that hearing. Given Omar’s post today on the BCCA judgment about a fee arrangement, I thought this might be apt.

The five-person bench was stellar: Patricia Jackson, Justice Ian Binnie, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, Earl Cherniak, and Mayo Moran.

As were the counsel: Sheila Block argued for Shylock, and Alan Lenczner for the state of Venice.

The hearing was not entirely sober-sided.

For those who would like to run up to this hearing via the play itself, the court scene – which contains Portia’s speech — (Act 4, Scene 1) is here.