The Merchant of Venice
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 1596-1597
- Era
- Renaissance
- Form
- Comedy
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 240 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Merchant of VeniceFolger Shakespeare Library (Simon and Schuster), 2004Affordable, clearly glossed, and honest in its notes about the play's treatment of Shylock.
These links go straight to Amazon and Bookshop.org and earn this site nothing today. Prices are the same either way. How this works.
To finance his friend Bassanio's courtship of the heiress Portia, the merchant Antonio borrows from the Jewish moneylender Shylock, whom he has long abused, and agrees in jest to forfeit a pound of his flesh if he defaults. Bassanio wins Portia by choosing the right casket, but Antonio's ships are lost and Shylock demands the bond. Portia, disguised as a lawyer, defeats Shylock in court on a technicality; he is stripped of his wealth and forced to convert.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Merchant of Venice are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
