Richard Burbage and Will Kempe were two actors of the 16^th Century and were contemporaries of Shakespeare. Little is known about their portrayals of Shylock except that Shylock was supposed to have been presented with a red-beard and a false nose. The reason for the red beard may be related to the tradition of presenting Judas with a red-beard; Roderigo Lopez was also traditionally depicted as having a red-beard. Most critics suggest that these early depictions of Shylock were not especially sympathetic, and were perhaps even given over to the hyperbole of Marlowe's villainous Barabas.

Stage History / Index Page / Geocities