Following the sad passing of RBG – a loss felt deeply across the world – JR's Arts Editor Judi Herman remembers an encounter with the redoubtable justice
Four years ago I was privileged to be a spectator in a unique courtroom. The setting? The Venice Ghetto. The case? Shylock v Antonio. The Mock Appeal – held as part of the Ghetto's 500th anniversary celebrations, during which the area enjoyed its first ever performance of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice – was heard before a jury of judges presided over by the Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and afforded a rather special eye-witness glimpse of this remarkable (and yes, diminutive) figure in action.
An expectant audience – including the great and good of Venice and further afield – gathered in the stunning Scuola Grande di San Rocco in the centre of the city. Viewers took in the rich, dark Biblical scenes with which Tintoretto adorned the high ceilings, and marvelled at the gilded pillars and pediments, wooden reliefs on the benches, and the shining red and cream marble floors.
Everyone stood as the judges and advocates processed in, dignified in their dark robes set off with golden tassels. American actor F Murray Abraham, a famous Shylock, gave some of his most notorious lines, with Judge Ginsburg magnificently and memorably supplying Portia’s lines. Then three advocates in turn – first for Shylock, then for Antonio and the Republic of Venice, and finally for Portia – had 20 minutes each to make their cases. Or rather be put through their paces by RBG, for the razor-sharp mind of the octogenarian was more than a match for the three advocates, each of whom found themselves pulled up by her incisive questions.
As Ginsburg appeared to floor Shylock's representation Manfredi Burgio, I feared that his fate would be as bad – or worse – than in that first court scene in the play. But as she put Mario Siragusa (representing Antonio and the Republic of Venice) and New York’s Jonathan Geballe (representing Portia) through a similar ordeal, I thought the scales might tip in his favour after all.
The Merchant of Venice Ghetto staging, 2016 © @Cafoscari
Indeed, when the distinguished jury returned, they ruled in favour of Shylock, deeming it a miscarriage of justice that he should find himself accused, found guilty and sentenced in the court he'd come to as plaintiff. They cited Portia as appearing under false pretences, what with her lack of training as a lawyer, found her guilty of fraud and bigotry, and sentenced her to three years at law school. They also said it was unconstitutional for Antonio, the former accused, to be allowed to handpick Shylock's punishment – one that involved confiscating his goods and ordering him to convert to Christianity "on pain of death".
In Shylock’s words the “wise and upright judge” so obviously relished bringing together her knowledge and expertise, her incisive intellect and her love of theatricality, to preside over this extraordinary one-off event and deliver such an unforgettable performance.
By Judi Herman
Read our four-star review of The Merchant of Venice and The Mock Appeal in the Venice Ghetto, July 2016.