The Merchant of Venice

random
Thursday night I went to The Merchant of Venice at the Guthrie with my mom and a girlfriend. I really enjoyed the production and found that despite my lack of Shakespeare background (unlike my mom the English major) I understood the play well. My mom pointed out this could have been because the actors did such a good job speaking the Elizabethan English.

Several minor characters were delightfully portrayed and Shylock was wonderful. While The Merchant of Venice is generally classified as a comedy, my mom and friend and I found ourselves discussing the tragedy of the character of Shylock afterwards. While the play was written in an anti-Semantic time and I was prepared to see that, we still felt compassion for Shylock. The play didn’t seem to be written to make Shylock a bad Jewish character, but a character that experienced loss and tragedy. He was portrayed in such a manner that you felt compassion for him.

This is one of my favorite productions of the Guthrie. My mom even pointed out The Merchant of Venice is not one of her favorite Shakespeare plays, but she thoroughly enjoyed it.

runnings
I made it around the three main lakes of the Chain of Lakes today for a 10 mile run. I tried to take it easy to be sure I could comfortable complete the run. I was hurting a bit at the end, but I finished fine. The biggest restraint I’ve been experiencing in my long runs is not a high pulse or heavy breathing, but muscle fatigue. My legs are definiately tired and a bit sore after these runs. I obviously have to work them up more, but I wonder if I’m lacking something in my diet to help muscle recovery. I could see that being protein.