The Merchant of Venice

In The Merchant of Venice, the path to marriage is hazardous. To win Portia, Bassanio must pass a test prescribed by her father’s will, choosing correctly among three caskets or chests. If he fails, he may never marry at all.<br/><br/>Bassanio and Portia also face a magnificent villain, the moneylender Shylock. In creating Shylock, Shakespeare seems to have shared in a widespread prejudice against Jews. Shylock would have been regarded as a villain because he was a Jew. Yet he gives such powerful expression to his alienation due to the hatred around him that, in many productions, he emerges as the hero.<br/><br/>Portia is most remembered for her disguise as a lawyer, Balthazar, especially the speech in which she urges Shylock to show mercy that “droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.”<br/><br/>The authoritative edition of The Merchant of Venice from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:<br/><br/>-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play<br/><br/>-Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play<br/><br/>-Scene-by-scene plot summaries<br/><br/>-A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases<br/><br/>-An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language<br/><br/>-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play<br/><br/>-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books<br/><br/>-An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading<br/><br/>Essay by Alexander Leggatt<br/><br/>The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.