Martin Foreman writes:

The first impetus for A Pound of Flesh came from a production I saw in 2022, which unintentionally highlighted the difficulties of putting on a play that alternates comedy and drama and where the question of sixteenth century anti-semitism cannot easily be addressed from a modern perspective. 

That contradiction loitered in the back of my mind until February 2023 when I took part in an online event where participants were encouraged to write a play a day. One of the challenges was to take a well-known story and change an event, which would lead to a completely different outcome. Immediately Romeo and Juliet came to mind. What would happen if there had been no plague in Mantua and Romeo had been informed of Juliet’s scheme? Tragedy averted. But if instead of a messenger delayed by plague in Mantua, what would happen if the plague struck while Portia and Nerissa were in Padua? 

With that twist the first draft of A Pound of Flesh wrote itself. I excised the most of the comedy to focus on the essential plot. I claim no credit for Antonio’s obsession with Bassanio nor for Bassanio’s love of money and luxury – they are both clearly stated in Shakespeare’s opening scene. At that point I throw more light on Antonio’s deep emotion and on Bassanio’s greed, and as the play develops I open out their characters until the final scene, where each comes to terms with the fate they have brought upon themselves and those around them. 

I make no comment on Shylock or the prevailing attitudes either of the society in which he lives or the society in which we live. In that respect I let A Pound of Flesh speak for itself, although I am aware that each member of the audience will see the play from their own perspective. 

Two reasons were behind my choice to marry Shakespeare’s text with my weak imitation of his language. The first was to remind the audience that this is his play as much as it is mine; the second was because modern language would have required modern attitudes and that would have torn the story too far from its roots. In much of my work I prefer the timeless to the contemporary; the former seldom dies, the latter has too short a life.   

Finally, I must emphasise that although I am responsible for the structure and all new dialogue and actions in A Pound of Flesh, the play could not have reached its current form without Danielle Farrow’s help. She came to the first reading with little knowledge of my previous work and since then she has offered unconditional support and shared her great knowledge and experience of every aspect of Shakespeare’s work. Her insights as she reviewed each new draft – why a line didn’t work here, what would give greater impact there, what was intended with these words or that phrase – have been invaluable and enabled me to create what I hope is a powerful drama. To her I give my greatest thanks.