The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice is a comedy by William Shakespeare. While the play is technically a comedy it is best known for its dramatic scenes and for a debate surrounding its perceived anti-semitic themes.

Fast Facts

Writer: William Shakespeare
Setting: Venice, Italy
Written: 1596-1596
First performance: February 10, 1605 at Court by The King's Men
ISBN 978-1903436035
Entered into Stationers' Register: July 22, 1598
Performed 48 times on Broadway between 1768 and 1989

Synopsis

The Merchant of Venice tells the story of Bassanio, a young Venetian, who wishes to to woo the beautiful and wealthy heiress Portia. He approaches his friend Antonio for money needed to subsidize his traveling expenditures as a suitor for three months. As all of Antonio's ships and merchandise are busy at sea, Bassanio turns to the Jewish moneylender Shylock. Shylock, who hates Antonio because he had insulted and spat on him for being a Jew, proposes a condition. If Antonio is unable to repay the loan at the specified date, Shylock can take a pound of Antonio's flesh. Although Bassanio does not want Antonio to accept such a risky condition, Antonio accedes and signs the contract. This contract becomes the dramatic center around which the plot revolves.

Characters

Antonio: a Merchant of Venice
Bassanio: his friend
Portia: a rich Heiress
Shylock: a rich Jew
The Duke of Venice

Famous Quotes

"But love is blind..."

"All that glisters is not gold."

"The portrait of a blinking idiot."

"In sooth I know not why I am so sad"

"It is a wise father that knows his own child."

"A pound of flesh, to be by him cut off nearest the merchant's heart."

Categories

Shakespeare | Theater | Plays | Literature | Dramatic Studies | English

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Wikipedia: The Merchant of Venice
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GradeSaver: The Merchant of Venice Study Guide
Lambs' Tales From Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice
Folger Shakespeare Library: The Merchant of Venice Lesson Plans
Project Gutenberg: The Merchant of Venice Downloadable Full Text

The Merchant of Venice Synopsis

Absolute Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice Summary
Folger Shakespeare Library: The Merchant of Venice Synopsis
Shakespeare Resource Center: The Merchant of Venice Synopsis
No Fear Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice Parallel Text: Original Text & Modern English

The Merchant of Venice Analysis and Study Guides

CliffsNotes: The Merchant of Venice Study Guide
Cummings Study Guides: The Merchant of Venice
Pink Monkey: The Merchant of Venice Study Guide
Masterpiece Theatre: The Merchant of Venice Teacher's Guide
Bell Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice Teacher's Kit (PDF)
Paper Starter: Thesis Statements & Important Quotes from The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice Critical History

GradeSaver: The Merchant of Venice Essays
Trisha Olson: Pausing Upon Portia; The Lady of Belmont
Shakespeare Art Museum: Portia in The Merchant of Venice
SparkNotes: The Merchant of Venice Themes, Motifs & Symbols
Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet: The Merchant of Venice Critical Essays
Ben Ross Schneider, Jr.: Granville's Jew of Venice (1701): A Close Reading of Shakespeare's Merchant

The Merchant of Venice in Performance

Royal Shakespeare Company: The Merchant of Venice Production Photos 1818-1993
Shakespeare and the Players: The Merchant of Venice Performance History 1880-1914
Internet Shakespeare Editions: The Merchant of Venice Performance History 1902-2006

Title in TV and Films

Note: These links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.
1908: The Merchant of Venice (Silent)
1927: The Merchant of Venice First Sound Production
1969: The Merchant of Venice (TV) (Orson Welles)
1973: The Merchant of Venice (TV) (Laurence Olivier) (Joan Plowright)
1980: The Merchant of Venice (TV) (John Rhys-Davies)
2004: The Merchant of Venice (Al Pacino) (Jeremy Irons) (Joseph Fiennes)

The Merchant of Venice Images and Videos

Google Image Search: The Merchant of Venice
60 Second Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice Video
Shakespeare Illustrated: The Merchant of Venice Paintings
Shakespeare Classics: The Merchant of Venice 1910 Video
YouTube and Google Video Search: The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice Influences and Culture

B.R. Schneider: Shylock is Us
University of Victoria: The Merchant of Venice Historicism
Shakespeare and Anti-Semitism: The Question of Shylock
Royal Shakespeare Company: Shakespeare and Women: Portia
Internet Shakespeare Editions: The Merchant of Venice Life and Times
LookSmart: Antonio's legalistic cruelty: Interdisciplinarity and The Merchant of Venice
Thomas H. Luxon: A Second Daniel: The Jew and the "True Jew" in The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice Inspired Television and Film

1910: Shylock (Silent)
1999: Shylock (Orson Welles) (Laurence Olivier) (Dustin Hoffman)
2005: Merchant of Venice: Shakespeare Through the Lens (V)

The Merchant of Venice Merchandise

eBay.com: The Merchant of Venice Related Merchandise
CafePress: The Merchant Of Venice Printed Merchandise
Amazon.com: The Merchant of Venice Related Merchandise
Google Product Search: The Merchant of Venice Related Merchandise

Related Pages on Mahalo

William Shakespeare | All's Well That Ends Well | As You Like It | The Comedy of Errors | Love's Labours Lost | Measure for Measure | The Merry Wives of Windsor | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Much Ado About Nothing | Pericles, Prince of Tyre | Taming of the Shrew | The Tempest | Troilus and Cressida | Twelfth Night | The Two Gentlemen of Verona | Winter's Tale | Cymbeline

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