{"product_id":"9780241187975","title":"9780241187975","description":"\u003cp\u003eWilliam Shakespeare's \u003ci\u003eThe Merchant of Venice\u003c\/i\u003e is both a witty comedy and a moving exploration of bigotry and stigmatisation, and this Penguin Shakespeare edition is edited by W. Moelwyn Merchant with an introduction by Peter Holland.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'The quality of mercy is not strain'd,\u003cbr\u003eIt droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBassanio, a noble but impoverished Venetian, asks his friend the merchant Antonio for a loan to impress an heiress. Antonio agrees, but is forced to borrow the sum from a cynical Jewish moneylender, Shylock, who forces him into a chilling contract, which stipulates he must honour the debt with a pound of his own flesh. But Bassanio's beloved is not as demure as she seems, and disguising herself as a lawyer, Portia proves herself one of Shakespeare's most cunning heroines, in a witty attack on Shylock's claim. A complex and controversial comedy, \u003ci\u003eThe Merchant of Venice\u003c\/i\u003e explores prejudice and the true nature of justice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book contains a general introduction to Shakespeare's life and Elizabethan theatre, a separate introduction to \u003ci\u003eThe Merchant of Venice\u003c\/i\u003e, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, an essay discussing performance options on both stage and screen, and a commentary.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWilliam Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), many of which are regarded as the most exceptional works of drama ever produced, including \u003ci\u003eRomeo and Juliet \u003c\/i\u003e(1595), \u003ci\u003eHenry \u003c\/i\u003eV (1599), \u003ci\u003eHamlet \u003c\/i\u003e(1601), \u003ci\u003eOthello\u003c\/i\u003e (1604), \u003ci\u003eKing Lear \u003c\/i\u003e(1606) and \u003ci\u003eMacbeth\u003c\/i\u003e (1606), as well as a collection of 154 sonnets, which number among the most profound and influential love-poetry in English.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you enjoyed \u003ci\u003eThe Merchant of Venice\u003c\/i\u003e, you might like \u003ci\u003eThe Taming of the Shrew, \u003c\/i\u003ealso available in Penguin Shakespeare.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'The man who of all modern, and perhaps ancient poets, had the largest and most comprehensive soul'\u003cbr\u003eJohn Dryden\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books, Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47078521700592,"sku":"9780241187975","price":11.27,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780241187975_p0.jpg?v=1763679705","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780241187975","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}