{"product_id":"9780743477567","title":"The Merchant of Venice (Folger Shakespeare Library Series)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Merchant of Venice\u003c\/i\u003e, the path to marriage is hazardous. To win Portia, Bassanio must pass a test prescribed by her father’s will, choosing correctly among three caskets or chests. If he fails, he may never marry at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBassanio and Portia also face a magnificent villain, the moneylender Shylock. In creating Shylock, Shakespeare seems to have shared in a widespread prejudice against Jews. Shylock would have been regarded as a villain because he was a Jew. Yet he gives such powerful expression to his alienation due to the hatred around him that, in many productions, he emerges as the hero.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePortia is most remembered for her disguise as a lawyer, Balthazar, especially the speech in which she urges Shylock to show mercy that “droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authoritative edition of \u003ci\u003eThe Merchant of Venice\u003c\/i\u003e from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Scene-by-scene plot summaries\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEssay by Alexander Leggatt\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47028433027312,"sku":"9780743477567","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780743477567_p0.jpg?v=1763635606","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780743477567","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}