District Guide: Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice

Shylock's Speech

Six Minute Summary

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The Merchant of Venice - comedy or tragedy?

"One would have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to recognise that Shakespeare's grand, equivocal comedy The Merchant of Venice is nevertheless a profoundly anti-semitic work,” wrote literary critic Harold Bloom in his 1998 book Shakespeare and the Invention of the Human.

From: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-scholars-still-debate-whether-or-not-shakespeares-merchant-venice-anti-semitic-180958867/

Relevance Today?

The Merchant of Venice is one such text that undeniably remains relevant for modern audiences and can be valued with just as much importance as it was in Elizabethan England.

The play's central themes are of power and control, love and friendship, and the discrimination of others.

Bassanio

Windsor Library Resources

No Fear Shakespeare Merchant of Venice by Notes Spark
Read Shakespeare's plays in all their brilliance--and understand what every word means! Don't be intimidated by Shakespeare! These popular guides make the Bard's plays accessible and enjoyable. Each No Fear guide contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts the words into everyday language A complete list of characters, with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare; Jonathan Morris (Editor); Robert Smith (Editor)
This edition of The Merchant of Venice is part of the groundbreaking Cambridge School Shakespeare series established by Rex Gibson. Remaining faithful to the series' active approach it treats the play as a script to be acted, explored and enjoyed. As well as the complete script of the play, you will find a variety of classroom-tested activities, an eight-page colour section and a selection of notes including information on characters, performance, history and language.
Manga Shakespeare: the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare; Richard Appignanesi (Adapted by)
The Merchant of Venice, one of the Bard's most enduring plays, explores themes of forgiveness, prejudice, and fairness, all of which remain vital topics today. In the Manga Shakespeare version, the setting and themes of the play take on new meaning as adapted by the artists guiding the series. Whether readers are fans of the Bard or of manga, this is a story that will captivate and engage, even after four hundred years.
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare; Barbara A. Mowat (Editor); Paul Werstine (Editor)
In The Merchant of Venice, the path to marriage is hazardous. To win Portia, Bassanio must pass a test prescribed by her father's will, choosing correctly among three caskets or chests. If he fails, he may never marry at all. Bassanio and Portia also face a magnificent villain, the moneylender Shylock. In creating Shylock, Shakespeare seems to have shared in a widespread prejudice against Jews. Shylock would have been regarded as a villain because he was a Jew. Yet he gives such powerful expression to his alienation due to the hatred around him that, in many productions, he emerges as the hero. Portia is most remembered for her disguise as a lawyer, Balthazar, especially the speech in which she urges Shylock to show mercy that "droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven." The authoritative edition of The Merchant of Venice from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers.