‘The Merchant of Venice’ is among William Shakespeare’s most controversial and celebrated plays, nominally billed as a ‘comedy, ‘ but filled with dark themes about racism, antisemitism and an LGBTQ sub-plot as well.
Young Bassanio wishes to court the heiress Portia, but lacks the funds to do so. His friend Antonio – a rich trader whose investments are tied up in a number of ships at sea – turns to Shylock, a Jewish merchant, for a loan. Shylock agrees to lend Antonio the money, but because Antonio is an anti-semite, he demands that – should Antonio forfeit on the loan – he must turn over to Shylock a pound of his flesh. When Antonio’s ships appear to be lost at sea, Shylock presses for the agreed-upon payment and Portia – disguised as a male lawyer – must step forward to fight the case on Antonio’s behalf.
A dark and brilliant examination of race, revenge and redemption, ‘The Merchant of Venice’ has long been hailed as one of Shakespeare’s most powerful and fascinating plays. It is presented here in its original and unabridged format.
关于作者
William Shakespeare is generally acknowledged as the greatest dramatist in the history of English literature. Also a poet and actor, Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, where he received an education at the local grammar school, but whether he attended any educational institution subsequent to his early tutelage is unknown. By eighteen, Shakespeare was married – to an already-pregnant Anne Hathaway – and the couple would go on to have three children, Susanna and the twins Hamnet and Judith. (Hamnet died at 11 years old.) Shakespeare moved to London soon after the birth of the twins and began publishing poems (‘Venus and Adonis’ (1593) and ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ (1594)) and joined the Lord Chamberlain’s Men as an actor and playwright. Shakespeare stayed with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men throughout his career, producing some of his finest work – ‘King Lear, ‘ ‘Macbeth’ and ‘The Tempest’ among them – after the company fell under the patronage of King James I and became The King’s Men. During his career, Shakespeare penned 38 plays, two narrative poems and over 150 sonnets and enjoyed considerable financial success, eventually buying New Place, one of the largest homes in Stratford. Following his death in 1616 at the age of 52, thirty-six of his plays were collected and published as the First Folio and his entire canon – including his extant plays, sonnets and poems – were published as The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s plays are the most produced dramatic works in existence and they have been translated and adapted into countless stage, screen and television productions over the years. Entire theatres are devoted to producing his works and his writings are studied and analyzed in literature classes around the world.
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