The Merchant of Venice (Cliffs Complete)

In the CliffsComplete guides, the novel's complete text and a glossary appear side-by-side with coordinating numbered lines to help you understand unusual words and phrasing. You'll also find all the commentary and resources of a standard CliffsNotes for Literature.

CliffsComplete The Merchant of Venice offers insight and information into a work that's rich both dramatically and thematically. Every generation since Shakespeare's time has been able to identify with some thematic aspect of the play.

Discover what happens to a young merchant who cannot repay a debt to a vindictive money lender; meet the menacing Shylock, one of the most vivid and memorable characters in Shakespeare's works — and save valuable studying time — all at once. Enhance your reading of The Merchant of Venice with these additional features:

• A summary and insightful commentary for each act
• Bibliography and historical background on the author, William Shakespeare
• A look at Early Modern English intellect, religion, politics, and society
• Coverage of Shakespeare's source and the play's performance history
• A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
• Review questions, a quiz, discussion guide, and activity ideas
• A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Web sites

Streamline your literature study with all-in-one help from CliffsComplete guides!

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote 37 plays. King Lear and Macbeth are widely considered his finest and most popular. They are, perhaps, the most frequently produced works on the planet.