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  • "The Merchant of Venice" is proof positive that even Shakespeare can misfire. Yes, he's at the height of his powers and gives voice to some great speeches, most notably, the famous "the quality of mercy is not strained" defense. However, perhaps it's my modern sensibilities interfering with my enjo ... Continue

    "The Merchant of Venice" is proof positive that even Shakespeare can misfire. Yes, he's at the height of his powers and gives voice to some great speeches, most notably, the famous "the quality of mercy is not strained" defense. However, perhaps it's my modern sensibilities interfering with my enjoyment of classic literature, but I found the Bard's portrayal of Shylock completely reprehensible. (Yes, he's the villain, but his villainy is attributed to his heritage as a Jew.)

    I know that times have changed and I'm sensitive to the fact that, pretty much up until the Holocaust, anti-semitism was a fairly wide-spread prejudice and that Shakespeare (like Dickens) couldn't be blamed for contemporary societal perceptions. However, a modern reader may find this distasteful to the point of distraction, detracting from the overall quality of this work.

    Is it a good play? Yes, it's technically quite good. But reader beware, the rampant anti-semitism may leave you angry and disgusted.

    

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• ― guaddess said on Oct 20, 2007 about the Paperback edition| Add your feedback

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.

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