"THE MERCHANT OF VENICE" AND HIS POUND OF FLESH It was a scandal and a cartoon in the tabloids expressed it best: "A man in a tuxedo stuffed with bills is placing a bag of gold on a scale while a woman in a scant negligee places a baby on its opposite scale. To add insult to injury, the woman is still breast-feeding the infant adding precious weight to its value." So mocks the world of the immoral contract between an entrepreneur and a dancer. Intent on creating an heir for his empire, Anthony Merchant hires Penny Browning to have his child. Set against the backdrop of greed and hypocrisy, these two unhappy people struggle with their choices and conscience. Their artificial relationship is strained. Mistrust and prejudices undermine their judgments. Throughout the action, emotions clash: sex and love; ambition and responsibility; pride and faith. Only in the end, when nearly all is lost and secrets are revealed, do they recognize the true value of all they possess--in the miracle of life. Satiric and shocking, Anthony Merchant is a search for values and permanence amid the relative ethics of the times.