The Merchant of Venice

The Wordsworth Classics` Shakespeare Series presents a newly-edited sequence of William Shakespeare`s works. The textual editing takes account of recent scholarship while giving the material a careful reappraisal.
The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare`s most popular comedies, but it remains deeply controversial.
The text may seem anti-Semitic; yet repeatedly, in performance, it has revealed a contrasting nature.
Shylock, though vanquished in the law-court, often triumphs in the theatre. In his intensity he can dominate
the play, challenging abrasively its romantic and lyrical affirmations. What results is a bitter-sweet drama.
Though The Merchant of Venice offers some of the traditional pleasures of romantic comedy, it also exposes
the operations of prejudice. Thus Shakespeare remains our contemporary.