In 1927, Sándor Hevesi adapted Ermete Novelli’s dramaturgical idea in his theatre direction of The Merchant of Venice at the Hungarian National Theatre. Novelli performed in Budapest in 1899 and 1903 as Shylock. Novelli dramatises a quoted act originally in the text of the play into a present-time action, a separate scene. In the eighth scene of Act II of The Merchant of Venice, the dialogue between Solanio and Salerio recounts Shylock’s reaction to the elopement of his daughter Jessica with a Christian, and the loss of his fortune. Novelli presents this as a separate scene in his guest performance. By not learning about his loss from a narrative, the audience is given the opportunity to empathise with Shylock’s loss and to feel his pain. Hevesi recognised that Novelli’s dramaturgical idea would add nuance to Shylock’s character, and so he adapted it. In my thesis, I examine how Novelli’s guest play becomes a stylistic experience for Sándor Hevesi, and how this is reflected in Sándor Hevesi’s theatre direction of The Merchant of Venice (1927) and in Hevesi’s translation of The Merchant of Venice (1936), directed by Artúr Bárdos.