The Merchant of Venice (The Pelican Shakespeare)

by William Shakespeare

book data

14,748 ratings, 3.73 average rating, 370 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		23%
4		35%
3		31%
2		7%
1		1%

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published

August 3rd 2000 by Penguin Classics (first published 1600)

details

Paperback, 160 pages

isbn

0140714626 (isbn13: 9780140714623)

description

If there ever has been a groundbreaking edition that likewise returns the reader to the original Shakespeare text, it will be the Applause Folio Texts…more

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Jun 16, 2009

Kelly rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

bookshelves: 1500-1700, brit-lit, owned, shakespeare, theatre

Read in June, 2009

Although the most famous speech from this piece is, deservedly and understandably, Shylock's 'prick us' monologue, I think that the more useful speech to talk about what I felt about the play is Portia's only slightly less famous 'quality of mercy' speech in the court room scene:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in...more

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12 comments

Sep 19, 2007

Anne Blocker rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

bookshelves: strong-influence

Read in March, 1956

recommends it for: everyone

My grandmother knew Shakespeare by heart. Not one play or a few sonnets, but all of it, the body of work. She believed the highest calling was to contribute to the body of human knowledge. She was one of the early professors at The University of Texas.

I knew Shylock and Portia as if they were members of our family when I went with my grandmother at 15 to the open stage at Stratford-on-Avon to see The Merchant of Venice. Growing up on an island in the Gulf of Mexico where every able-...more My grandmother knew Shakespeare by heart. Not one play or a few sonnets, but all of it, the body of work. She believed the highest calling was to contribute to the body of human knowledge. She was one of the early professors at The University of Texas.

I knew Shylock and Portia as if they were members of our family when I went with my grandmother at 15 to the open stage at Stratford-on-Avon to see The Merchant of Venice. Growing up on an island in the Gulf of Mexico where every able-bodied person is valued in a storm, I was unable to understand the tone of anti-Semitism. I wrote about that when I next studied the play in college.

In my Forties, our laboratory was conducting research at St. Stephen's School in Austin when the Headmaster called to say I had to come immediately to see the results of a new learning device. The door to the classroom was locked until the bell rang. Seventh grade students streamed into the class and seized the lesson of the day to learn -- Elizabethan vocabulary for The Merchant of Venice. I expected groans and instead, it was like a race. In 15 minutes, they had all learned the lesson to 100% and the teacher turned on a video in process, an exchange of Portia, Antonio and Shylock about the pound of flesh.

When the word forsooth came on, the class, in unison, raised fists into the air and shouted the word. I was startled. Could this be learning?

When the video was turned off, the hands went up enthusiastically. The first question, what are the words we say today that will seem odd three hundred years from now? Cool, tight, talk to the hand seemed to qualify. The next question, what is a pound of flesh and where could you cut it off the body where it would do the most and the least damage? That led to a discussion of emergency medicine, vulnerability of biological systems and triage.

Then, the inevitable, what does it mean to be Jewish and why do they charge interest? If I lent you lunch money today, I wouldn't ask for more than I lent you tomorrow. That would not seem fair. The kids of bankers and Realtors were quick to discuss economic systems, countries where interest was illegal, the first rumors of the success of the Grameen Bank. They were guided in a discussion of the common origin of religions, the children of Abraham who had become Jews, Christians and Muslims.

I asked the teacher, noticing the time, when they were going to discuss the play and Shakespeare. She turned and smiled. This is what we study Shakespeare FOR, she said, to teach students to think and feel and deal with what is important -- poetry, ideas, the human condition. This is just the beginning. These kids will be talking about The Merchant of Venice all their lives. I realized she was right.(less)

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Feb 27, 2008

Travis rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

bookshelves: fiction---english

Read in November, 2005

When I came across the name 'Shylock', it occurred to me that C.S. Lewis mentioned something about Shylock in passing. I didn't understand what he meant, but I think I would now. Great play - MUCH better than Taming of the Screw. It has restored my faith in Shakespeare. There were some problems, however. I think that finding a loophole in Shylock's contract to save Antonio is not a virtuous way to bring about forced mercy. I would rather Shylock be caught in the same demand for justice. I think ...more

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Nov 24, 2007

Terrill Valentine rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

Read in January, 2007

recommends it for: Shakespere Fans

In Shakespeare’s, “The Merchant of Venice,” the life of a Jew was not an easy life to live, from a history of anti-Semitism came with it a period of expulsion and even downright genocide. The Jews have been discriminated against for many years and it is for this very reason you can start to understand why Shylock was portrayed as a monstrous individual who was inhumane in his techniques. Because of his Jewish history and anti-Semitic biases, Shylock is a product of his time and represent...more

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Dec 10, 2008

Dolly rated it:

(review of isbn 019283424X)

bookshelves: 1980s, english, italy

Read in December, 1987

recommends it for: high school students and Shakespeare fans

I was given a decent introduction to Shakespeare during my high school years. And this was one of my favorites - I remember being so excited to be picked to read the parts for Portia. I think I even wanted to name my daughter that at some point, but changed my mind.

We all had to memorize the following passage and it has always stuck with me (at least parts of it!):

"The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon t...more

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Mar 03, 2010

Jdtaylor22 rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

bookshelves: literature

First, this is not a book; it's a play. Second, I read this out of the Norton Shakespeare - one of those huge books I bought for undergrad for about $300 (that's probably a little hyperbolic) that thus far has been used as a doorstop. The advantage of reading plays out of this edition is that there are comments in advance of the plays themselves that give a good sense of relevant history and an overview of the more salient "literary" things going on.

Anyway, on to Mercha...more First, this is not a book; it's a play. Second, I read this out of the Norton Shakespeare - one of those huge books I bought for undergrad for about $300 (that's probably a little hyperbolic) that thus far has been used as a doorstop. The advantage of reading plays out of this edition is that there are comments in advance of the plays themselves that give a good sense of relevant history and an overview of the more salient "literary" things going on.

Anyway, on to Merchant. I started on this play because a good deal of it has to do with law. For those that don't recall the plot, Bassanio's fiance Portia dresses up as a man to defend his friend Antonio, who can't pay back his debt to Shylock, whose penalty for default is a pound of flesh. Portia wins the case for Antonio through a strict and very literal reading of the bond (i.e. Shylock could take a pound of flesh but any blood and he'd be executed). I think this is interesting in terms of modern contract law because it reflects a degree of flexibility that's given to the terms depending on the status of the parties. For instance, in an extreme, a door-to-door furniture salesman that works for a huge corporation and focuses strictly on low-income apartments and ropes uneducated people into contracts with ridiculous terms (e.g. financing at .75% w/ repossession on default). In that case, a lot of courts will give a very favorable reading of not only the contract to the disadvantaged party, but may also include parol (i.e. possibly hearsay verbal) evidence in his favor as well.

The other extreme, the one that's more representative of the relationship b/n Antonio and Shylock, is where there are two parties that are on equal footing, either in education or expertise. In this case, the text of the contract is usually strictly adhered to because both parties know what they're doing. Moreover, even if there were some extraneous assurances or terms that became involved, courts aren't willing to become bogged down in litigation especially when the parties should have known better before litigating the issue. Such is the case here: Antonio is an experienced merchant and Shylock is a career moneylender. Both have the experience for an arbiter to presume a fair bargain, and so Portia's strict reading is therefore very appropriate. Of course, from a presentist perspective, a pound of flesh weighs heavily in favor of deeming the contract unconscionable, but I leave off the legal issues here.

Of course, you can hardly talk about this play without dealing with the rife anti-semitism within. One will recall, Shylock is a Jew and the hated antagonist, and it seems throughout that the bad things happening to him are meant for comedic relief (e.g. when his daughter runs off with Lorenzo (one of Bassanio's friends), someone makes a crack about Shylock losing his testicles). I think even forgiving Shakespeare the audience he was writing for, this all is a little hard to read, though I think the bard makes up for it. First, the hero is undeniably Portia, a woman who demonstrates that women are powerful, intelligent members of society that can overcome ostensibly insurmountable obstacles to rescue even powerful men from their demise. Second, all the characters, including Portia, are abeyant to the precepts of the law, which actors were poised to execute Shylock's bond without a good legal and non-racist otherwise. (less)

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Feb 17, 2010

Candice Hill rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

Read in January, 2010

I enjoy the fact that the women of the play are very witty. I also enjoyed a soliloquy performed by Lorenzo that was beautiful to me.

Beshrew me but I love her heartily;
For she is wise, if I can judge of her,
And fair she is, if that mine eyes be true,
And true she is, as she hath proved herself,
And therefore, like herself, wise, fair and true,
Shall she be placed in my constant soul.
LORENZO

Though, I in no wa...more

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Jan 14, 2010

Nicole Talucci rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

Read in January, 2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I've always found this play to be . . . a tad painful. I think it was supposed to be a romantic comedy but it really came off, to me as a modern reader, as a woeful tale about greed and justice. Oh yeah, and hate.

As with a lot of British literature from, well, any period earlier then 1850, it has a fair amount of antisemetism; this play in particular was themed around a lot of mistrust and bred hatred of Jews and Christians alike. I keep trying to figure out what Shakespeare's inten...more I've always found this play to be . . . a tad painful. I think it was supposed to be a romantic comedy but it really came off, to me as a modern reader, as a woeful tale about greed and justice. Oh yeah, and hate.

As with a lot of British literature from, well, any period earlier then 1850, it has a fair amount of antisemetism; this play in particular was themed around a lot of mistrust and bred hatred of Jews and Christians alike. I keep trying to figure out what Shakespeare's intention was with Shylock--was he really just supposed to be the villianous Jew or was he an allegory for the suffering of Jews at the hands of Christians for, like, ever? According to wikipedia there are two different schools of thought on the play, one of which is that he's just the bad guy and gets what he deserves because he acts like a dick; the other being that he is the tragic victim who is fucked out of everything through trickery and deceptions.

There are good arguments for both sides, of which can be further researched on your own, if you so desire it, but I am inclined to side with the latter argument. Of course, that may be a product of my lot in life, my friends and family, the way I've been raised, but I can't help but feel a little queezy when seeing the treatment and the subsequent behavior of Shylock. It brings up a good question of good-and-evil when the only way to save Antonio is to use trickery and guile--from WOMEN no less! I do love how Narrisa and Portia are the most bad ass of all the characters, "sticking it to the man," in a manner of speaking; but their behavior does reinforce the argument that Shylock is the abused victom.

In addition to (or should I say, because of) re-reading the play, I watched then the movie made in 2004 and I felt like it really helped put a face on so much that text can desguise--which is another reason why I enjoy watching these plays, at Renaissance festivals and such, rather then reading them. Shylock's daughter, who really comes off as more of a minor character in the text, is really brought to life by Zuleihka Robinson and as such you can see how she is really the undoing of all the characters. Had she not of run off to convert with--I don't even remember? Lorenzo?--Shylock wouldn't have been so grief stricken to actually seek out Antonio's heart! And she doesn't even care! She acknowledges this fact and is like, "awe hell. Well at least Antonio is alive now, no thanks to me." Completely leaving her dad to rot. Thanks a lot, flakey git. (less)

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Jan 08, 2010

Kathryn rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

bookshelves: book-club, shakespeare

Read in January, 2010

Summary: Antonio's friend Bassanio has a problem: he's in love (and what a problem it is). But Bassanio has no money. Antonio, a merchant, has lent him some before, but Bassanio fritters it away. Since Antonio has no more money to give, but is sure that his ships will return soon loaded with dough, he convinces Shylock, a Jewish money lender, to lend him some. The foreclosure fee? A pound of flesh. Well, predictably, Bassanio gets the girl, but Antonio loses his ship and Shylock, angry that Anto...more

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Oct 04, 2009

John rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

Read in October, 2009

First, the positives. The beautiful use of language stands out, as there are a number of moments in the play that really do transcend the narrative. Of course, that includes Shylock's famous "If you prick us, do we not bleed?" soliloquy, but for my money, the greatest lines come from Portia's mouth in Act IV, scene 1. Her comments on the relationship between mercy and justice express a profound truth about the right use of power. I also really appreciated the clown character, Launcelot...more

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Mar 09, 2010

Drharun Musa added it (review of isbn 0743477561)

William Shakespeare is considered to be The Best English Writer.
For me he is the best for me because he revealed the naked truth and facts about bad jews (I'm not against all Jews,just Zionists and who cooperate with them).
He was very clever in showing the personality of shylock.in which Jews considered that as insulting for them or as it is called Was anti-Semitic.

"anti-Semitic" is the term introduced to any person who stands to say no for zionists and to t...more

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May 18, 2009

A.J. rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

Read in May, 2009

What amazes me about Shakespeare is how in just about every play you'll run across something––a scene, a character, a passage––that if anyone else had crafted it, he/she would be regarded as a genius based off the strength of this one thing by itself. The more I read, the more I understand why most of the civilized world is gazing up at this pillar of the English language in awe.

There's no doubt Shylock is one of the most interesting characters in Shakespeare's impressive car...more

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Nov 09, 2009

Jeanette rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

bookshelves: all-fiction, classics, four-star-fiction, plays

Read in November, 2009

About time for a comedy in my stay-at-home Shakespeare Festival. ;-)

This is rather more serious than Shakespeare's other comedies, but you know it's not a tragedy because nobody dies. :)
I've seen this play on stage two or three times and never caught how uncharitable Shakespeare really was toward Shylock. But the Modern Perspective piece at the end of this version does explain that Shakespeare probably never actually even saw a Jew in person in his lifetime. He was going alo...more

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Feb 05, 2009

Devon rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

bookshelves: own

Read in January, 2009

recommended to Devon by: Teacher

I love Shakespeare's writing. He's so eloquent. Everything flows together so well and even though it's so difficult to understand the language at first; it only takes a couple of pages for me to get the hang of it and I'm reading it just as if it's how we speak today. I have to say that, however biased I may be since this is the first of his comedies that I've read, I prefer the tragedies. I don't like the way everyone (except Shylock) gets a happy ending. I prefer mass homicide and suicide, per...more

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Mar 10, 2009

Jon rated it:

(review of isbn 0486284921)

The characters in this play are some of the worst I have ever read. Almost all of them lack intelligence and depth. I mean, the part with the caskets, come on. Absolutely pathetic. My high school English class, full of absolute morons, understood that the picture was in the lead one as soon as they were mentioned, yet the characters in the play cannot figure it out. Also, who was going to make the suitors leave, never marry and never tell. The people who read this and go that was clever cannot b...more

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Dec 16, 2008

Robin rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

Read in February, 2007

One of the best quotes ever:

"He hath disgraced me, and
hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses,
mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my
bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine
enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath
not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
...more

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Jan 31, 2008

Sasha Kaye rated it:

Read in February, 2008

recommended to Sasha by: John Basil

I totally did not realize how anti-semetic this book is. It kind of creeped me out. I really liked the beginning, but I kind of thought the 5th act and all the stuff about the ring was pointless. Someone should tell Shakespeare about editing.

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Jun 13, 2009

Kenny rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

bookshelves: 11th-grade-books

The only other Shakespearean play I have read was Romeo and Juliet. Consequently, i was really eager to read The Merchant of Venice to see if there are any parallels between the two plays. This play, which is classified as a Shakespearean comedy, isn't all that funny to a modern reader. However, it certainly is different from Romeo and Juliet, which is seen as a tragedy. For one thing, The Merchant of Venice has women who dressed up as men and a happy ending. These are characteristic of a Shakes...more

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Nov 24, 2008

Edith rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

Read in December, 2008

John Jordan and I are starting this today and the plan is to finish it by Christmas vacation. This is the one Shakespeare play that I am acquainted with from watching a couple versions on DVD. My husband and I watched and discussed this play awhile back-in particular, the version with Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino. Powerful!

We finished this play last week and watched a BBC and TIME-LIFE Film production that followed strictly along with the play. After each day's oral reading together,...more

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Jan 08, 2010

Tom rated it:

(review of isbn 0743477561)

Read in January, 2010

Shakespeare's classic play does a lot of different things here, and it all comes down to the character of Shylock. Determing whether or not Shakespeare was an anti-Semite in his portrayal of the character. Yes, he asks whether or not a Jew will bleed if cut, and there are other things within the play, plus Shylock's got nothing on Christopher Marlowe's Jew of Malta, but that doesn't mean there isn't something there. As it is, it makes for excellent discussion possibilities for any teacher, an...more

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