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In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is arguably one of the most renowned outsiders in British theatre. He navigates being a Jew in a Christian world, especially when his daughter Jessica elopes with the Christian Lorenzo and converts. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown explores another of five Shakespeare plays which cross the racial divide. No one has ever captured the joy and lunacy and power of love better than William Shakespeare. His transgressive depictions of love remain unsurpassed. Othello, Titus Andronicus, The Merchant of Venice, Antony and Cleopatra and A Midsummer Night's Dream - in these five plays there's so much more to love than love. These are not tidy tragedies. Shakespeare apparently never left England except through his plays, yet he embraced interracial relationships and supernatural relationships and turned them into thrilling, dangerous drama. We bring together scholars, directors and actors to explore how the compulsions and fears, joys and sorrows, very much part of everyday life for many in Britain today, were so brilliantly showcased by Shakespeare more than 400 years ago. Producer: Mohini Patel First broadcast on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4 in May 2016.