The Merchant of Venice (Oxford World's Classics) - Softcover

Shakespeare, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019283424X ISBN 13: 9780192834249

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1998

Synopsis

This edition of The Merchant of Venice, based on a fresh examination of the early editions, includes an exceptionally lucid and accessible introduction which addresses Shakespeare's attitude toward Semitism and establishes the cultural, historical, and literary context in which Shakespeare wrote the play. An interesting range of production photographs and drawings of Renaissance merchants and Jews, and a survey of the play's stage history ranging from discussions of its early staging to important twentieth-century productions and performances outside England, particularly Israel, makes this an ideal edition for students, actors, and the general reader.

About this title

Book Description

The Merchant of Venice has been performed more often than any other comedy by Shakespeare. This edition pays special attention to the expectations of its first audience, and to our modern experience of seeing and hearing the play.

From the Publisher

This is one of Shakespeare's darkest comedies, for the romantic story of a young man, Bassanio, who has squandered his fortune and must borrow money to woo the wealthy lady he loves is set against the most disturbing story of the Jewish moneylender Shylock and his demand for the "pound of flesh" owed him by the Venetian merchant, Antonio, who has fallen into Shylock's debt. Here pathos and farce combine with moral complexity and romantic entanglement to display the extraordinary power and range of Shakespeare at his best.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 019283424X
• ISBN 13: 9780192834249
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Halio Jay L.