At last, Shylock has been cleared. At the end of The Merchant of Venice, the Jewish anti-hero is forced to convert to Christianity after trying to demand a pound of flesh from Antonio for defaulting on a debt.

Nearly 400 years later, a tribunal has ruled that the merchant should have his property restored along with his 3,000 ducats loan to Antonio, and should not have to change faith.

The hearing was a mock trial presided over by American Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg that took place before a performance of the play in Venice to mark the 500th anniversary of its ghetto.

Justice Ginsburg had a personal interest in the drama – her grandson Paul Spero was playing the part of Lorenzo.