THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

A QUICK OVERVIEW….

By William Shakespeare

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Picture - Shylock After The Trial. The vengeful, money lender runs away from a group of sneering children. "The Merchant of Venice."by William Shakespeare 1600. 

SUMMARY OF THE PLAY The character of Shylock has raised a debate

over whether the play should be condemned as anti-Semitic, and this controversy has overshadowed many other aspects of the play.The plot involves a vengeful, greedy creditor, Shylock, a Jewish money-lender Shylock who seeks a literal pound of flesh from his Christian opposite, the generous, faithful Antonio. Shakespeare's version of the chest-choosing device revolves around the play's Christian heroine, Portia, who steers her lover Bassanio toward the correct humble casket and then successfully defends his bosom friend Antonio from Shylock's horrid legal suit. Shylock, is a Jew whose beloved daughter is lost to him when she elopes with a man who belongs to a virulently anti-Semitic society. When grief, anger and vengeance overcome common sense he ends up literally forced to his knees to renounce his faith and his fortune. 

ABOUT THE PLAY Information provided about the Merchant of

Venice play:

William Shakespeare never published any of his plays and therefore none of the original manuscripts have survived. Eighteen unauthorized versions of his plays were, however, published during his lifetime in quarto editions by unscrupulous publishers (there were no copyright laws protecting Shakespeare and his works during the Elizabethan era). A collection of his works did not appear until 1623 (a full seven years after Shakespeare's death on April 23, 1616) when two of his fellow actors, John Hemminges and Henry Condell, posthumously recorded his work and published 36 of William’s plays in the First Folio. Some dates are therefore approximate other dates are substantiated by historical events, records of performances and the dates plays appeared in print.

DATE FIRST PERFORMEDDATE FIRST PRINTED It is believed that The Merchant of Venice

was first performed between 1596 and 1597. In the Elizabethan era there was a huge demand for new entertainment and The Merchant of Venice would have been produced immediately following the completion of the play.

It is believed that The Merchant of Venice was first printed in 1600. As William Shakespeare clearly did not want his work published details of the play would have therefore been noted, and often pirated without his consent, following a performance.

SETTING/THEMEThe Setting The settings for

The Merchant of Venice-

The settings for The Merchant of Venice are Venice and Belmont, a residence just outside of the city.

The theme of The Merchant of Venice-

The play The Merchant of Venice is categorized as a Comedy.

FAMOUS QUOTESFamous Quotes / QuotationsThe quotes from The Merchant of Venice are amongst Shakespeare's most famous.

"Superfluity comes sooner by white hairs, but competency lives longer." (Act i. Sc. 2.)

"The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose." (Act i. Sc. 3.)

"Mislike me not for my complexion, the shadow’d livery of the burnish’d sun." (Act ii. Sc. 1.)

"In the twinkling of an eye." (Act ii. Sc. 2.)

"All that glisters is not gold." (Act ii. Sc. 7.)