With Shylock's pound of flesh and Portia's golden ring,The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare's most controversial, disturbing and unforgettable plays. Combining accessible commentary with a range of reprinted materials, S. P. Cerasano: *explores the contexts of the play, including early modern images of Venice, the commercialism of the play, Shakespeare's theatre and London, and images of Jewishness *samples modern criticism of Shakespeare's Merchant, grouped into sections on The Economic Framework, Choosing and Risking, and Shylock and Other Strangers *offers an invaluable discussion of the play in performance, considering crucial staging issues and changing interpretations of the roles of Portia and Shylock *closely examines key passages of the work, providing both commentary and extensively annotated sections of play text *prepares readers for additional study of the play with a useful guide to further reading. Assuming no prior knowledge of the play, this sourcebook is the essential guide to one of the most haunting works of English drama.
| ISBN: | 9780415240512 |
| Publication date: | 18th December 2003 |
| Author: | SP Colgate University, New York, USA Cerasano |
| Publisher: | Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis Ltd |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 228 pages |
| Series: | Routledge Guides to Literature |
| Genres: |
Literary studies: general Literary companions, book reviews and guides Classic and pre-20th century plays |