The Merchant of Venice Texts and Contexts

by Shakespeare, William; Kaplan, M. Lindsay

• ISBN13: 9780312256241
• ISBN10: 0312256248
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-03-04
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

This edition of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice reprints the Bevington edition of the play along with documents and illustrations thematically arranged to offer a richly textured understanding of early modern culture and Shakespeare's work within that culture. The texts include maps, woodcuts, sermons, statutes, early modern documents reflecting Christian attitudes toward Jews and Jewish reactions to these attitudes, excerpts from the Bible on moneylending as well as contemporary discourses on usury and commerce, anti-Catholic tracts, travel accounts, diplomatic reports, scenes from a morality play about the corrupting effects of treatment of aliens, conduct literature, and contemporary treatises on the role of women. The documents illuminate religious controversy at the time of Shakespeare's play, some of his sources, the place of Venice in the early modern English imagination, merchant culture, and marriage, sexuality, and friendship in the period. Editorial features designed to help readers relate the play to historical documents include an engaging general introduction, an introduction to each thematic group of documents, headnotes and glosses for the primary documents (presented in modern spelling), and an extensive bibliography.

Author Biography

Roma Gill, the series editor, has taught Shakespeare at all levels. She has acted in and directed Shakespeare's plays and has lectured on Shakespeare all over the world

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. v
About the Play	p. v
Leading Characters in the Play	p. viii
Synopsis	p. x
The Merchant of Venice: commentary	p. xii
Shylock	p. xxvi
Shakespeare's Verse	p. xxx
Source, Date, and Text	p. xxxii
Characters in the Play	p. xxxiii
The Merchant of Venice	p. 1
Sources	p. 101
Classwork and Examinations	p. 103
Discussion of Themes and Topics	p. 103
Character Study	p. 104
Activities	p. 105
Context Questions	p. 106
Critical Appreciation	p. 107
Essays	p. 109
Projects	p. 110
Background	p. 111
Government	p. 111
Religion	p. 111
Education	p. 112
Language	p. 112
Drama	p. 112
Theatre	p. 113
Further Reading	p. 115
William Shakespeare, 1564-1616	p. 117
List of Shakespeare's Plays	p. 119
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