The Merchant of Venice

The Shakespeare Handbooks provide a helpful, straightforward guide to the work of the world's most celebrated dramatist.

Along with a clear, easy-to-follow description of the plot, each book contains plenty of quotations from the text - with simple explanations of any unfamiliar words and phrases - and some thought-provoking comments from critics, past and present.

The Shakespeare Handbooks include a few intriguing Shakespearean facts and figures, too. How old was Shakespeare when he wrote The Merchant of Venice? What was his reputation like at the time? What influenced him in creating the character of the moneylender Shylock? How did the Elizabethans feel about the subject of moneylending - and how did the issue affect Shakespeare personally? Money apart, which topic is mentioned more frequently in The Merchant of Venice than in any other play by Shakespeare? Why was Laurence Olivier's performance as Shylock particularly memorable? What is a 'fawning publican'? And why does a light wife make a heavy husband?

If you're apprehensive about approaching a Shakespeare play, the Shakespeare Handbooks provide the perfect introduction. They're ideal for students, theatregoers - in fact, anyone curious to know more about the greatest plays in the English language.

These are a few of the appreciative comments we've received about the Shakespeare Handbooks:
"Tremendously useful in helping to understand Shakespeare's works" - Dame Judi Dench.
"Very readable, very helpful" - Kenneth Branagh."
The Shakespeare Handbooks open the plays up admirably. Excellent for all levels of reader - everybody will get something from them." - Simon Callow.