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Merchant of Venice (Folger Ed.)
  
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Merchant of Venice (Folger Ed.) (Library Binding)

by William Shakespeare (Author), Paul Werstine (Editor), Barbara A. Mowat (Editor) "This is substantially the list given in Q3 (1637) ..." (more)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?" Shylock's impassioned plea in the middle of The Merchant of Venice is one of its most dramatic moments. After the Holocaust, the play has become a battleground for those who argue that the play represents Shakespeare's ultimate statement against ignorance and anti-Semitism in favour of a liberal vision of tolerance and multiculturalism. Other critics have pointed out that the play is, after all, a comedy that ultimately pokes fun at a 16th-century Jew. In fact, the bare outline of the plot suggests that the play is far more complex than either of these characterisations. Bassanio, a feckless young Venetian, asks his wealthy friend, the merchant Antonio, for money to finance a trip to woo the beautiful Portia in Belmont. Reluctant to refuse his friend (to whom he professes intense love), Antonio borrows the money from the Jewish moneylender. If he reneges on the deal, Shylock jokingly demands a pound of his flesh. When all Antonio's ships are lost at sea, Shylock calls in his debt, and the love and laughter of the first scenes of the play threaten to give way to death and tragedy. The final climactic courtroom scene, complete with a cross-dressed Portia, a knife-wielding Shylock, and the debate on "the quality of mercy" is one of the great dramatic moments in Shakespeare. The controversial subject matter of the play ensures that it continues to repel, divide but also fascinate its many audiences. --Jerry Brotton

From AudioFile

Since Charles Lamb first did it back in 1803, many writers have tried to adapt the plays of the Bard into prose for young readers. Leon Garfield has done it as well as anyone, and his two volumes of Shakespeare Stories form the basis for these marvelous recordings from the UK. The program includes an introduction to Shakespeare, a brief plot summary and a final essay called "Shakespeare Today." It's a complete package that will help orient young people experiencing the plays for the first time. Garfield's stories are exquisitely written and, while most of the language is modern, they retain the most famous speeches from the original plays, such as Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes?" Clare Higgins and Simon Russell Beale, who share billing on the entire series, are both actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and their comfort with the material shows in their flawless narrations. The Chivers series is ideal for students 10 and up although, like all great children's literature, it's certainly suitable for adults--Particularly those who want to brush up before seeing a performance, or those just looking to revisit the plays. D.B. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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This is substantially the list given in Q3 (1637). Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1.0 out of 5 stars Misleading description, July 14 2009
By Michael from Montreal (Montreal Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Merchant of Venice (Paperback)
Can't complain about the price, but the cover illustration is wrong (wrong publisher), there are no 'abbreviations and conventions', 'introduction', 'notes on the text' etc. and the book is 88 pages, not 189+ (as according to 'Click to look...' nor 96 as stated in the product description section). Don't show me the 1988 Cambridge University Press edition if what you are selling is the 1995 Dover Thrift Edition. I don't think this is an appropriate way of marketing your product not to mention very misleading.
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5.0 out of 5 stars The Merchant of Venice, May 17 2004
This review is from: The Merchant of Venice: Oxford School Shakespeare (Paperback)
The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, is a play that many readers will enjoy. Although this play may seem lighthearted, it addresses important themes and reflects societal views. The theme of appearances versus reality is depicted through the gold, sliver, and lead caskets that Portia's suitors pick from, illustrating the cliché that "all that glitters is not gold". This theme is revisited when Portia dresses as a man and cleverly solves the conflict between Bassanio, Antonio, and Shylock. Shakespeare also addresses the anti-Semitic views of the Elizabethan society though the antagonistic interaction between Antonio and Shylock. At the conclusion of the play, all the conflicts are happily resolved: Bassanio and Portia are reunited and Shylock converts to Christianity. The audience leaves the play with that warm and happy feeling. I would highly recommend this play.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Katherine's book review ( MOV anti semitic? NO WAY!), May 6 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Merchant of Venice (Mass Market Paperback)
How can people say that The Merchant of Venice is an anti semitic book???? Have the people that said this ever actually read the book? How can people call this anti semitic when it contains one of the greatest anti- racist speeches of all time?
'To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else,
it will feed my revenge. 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,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as
a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison
us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will
resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian,
what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian
wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by
Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you
teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I
will better the instruction.'

Think about it. That speech is a masterpiece. One of Shakespeare's best plays.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Shakespeare's Best
This play was actually intersting and had superb characterization. I actually found this work riveting - it had a great plot. Read more
Published on Feb 13 2004 by Kyle Nayman

2.0 out of 5 stars Mixed emotions.
First off, one thing needs to be made clear: in rating this play a mere "2 stars", I'm rating it as opposed to other Shakespearean plays; if rated against the general... Read more
Published on Dec 26 2003 by James Yanni

3.0 out of 5 stars Far from his best, but still a worthy read
Shakespeare borders on anti-Semitism in this play. In nearly every scene, the Jewish Character is either reminded he is a dog, or that he is evil because of being a Jew and this... Read more
Published on Nov 4 2003 by MrSherlockHolmes

4.0 out of 5 stars a problem play
this is a very difficult play to watch or read. while shakespeare may have intended shylock to be a villain, to a modern sensibility, he is the victim of society's racism... Read more
Published on May 3 2003

3.0 out of 5 stars GOOD EDITION: AND OTHER ALTERNATIVES
Till today, every pen-stroke William Shakespeare made draws respect. This "Merchant Of Venice" is no exception. The story remains tasty despite its age. Read more
Published on April 4 2003 by reviewer

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Potent for a "Comedy"
The New Folger Library delivers again. I will not buy any Shakespeare from any other publisher - Signet Classics or anyone else. Read more
Published on Oct 1 2002 by Chris Salzer

5.0 out of 5 stars Shakespeare- anti-semitic, or trying to prove a point?
After reading most of the other reviews here, I am fully aware that most of the reviewers didn't read carefully enough (or watch carefully enough if they saw the play. Read more
Published on Mar 24 2002 by Gary Jaffe

4.0 out of 5 stars Rami's Book Review for the Merchant of Venice
I really enjoyed this play, but then again I always enjoy Shakespeare's plays. The man is a genius. Read more
Published on Mar 21 2002 by rami leblanc

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm, Witty, Morality Play
This is a wonderful play - and unless you have seen it or read it you don't know it at all. That's because everything the popular culture tells us about this play is false (for... Read more
Published on Feb 23 2002 by Tom Blair

3.0 out of 5 stars The Golden Rule
A person is not born to the side of good or evil, rather, their character is shaped by their environment. Read more
Published on Oct 21 2001 by Emma

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