Monsterpiece Theater - Monsters of Venice

Oh Sesame Street...! I really do appreciate how they make the show watchable for both children and their parents. Obviously, a child isn't going to understand the allusions made in "Monsterpiece Theater: Waiting for Elmo," but they get the basic idea of the play, just as they do here. The concept of tolerance is communicated more clearly here than in Merchant of Venice itself which, I believe, Shakespeare was getting at in some respects. This show does an excellent job of getting kids used to hearing the name Shakespeare and associating him with entertainment, which will become important once they grow old enough to read the real thing. I also have to chuckle at the fact that they turn Shylock into a monster (wonder what exactly the commentary is there) and that they include the Carnival detail. Best of all, they adapt Shakespeare's dialog for children but keep the sentence structure intact: "If you tickle us, do we not laugh?" This really helps with listening and reading comprehension later on.