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Books : The Merchant of Venice (Folger Shakespeare Library)


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by: William Shakespeare

Amazon.com's Price: $5.99
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 822.33
EAN: 9780743477567
ISBN: 0743477561
Label: Washington Square Press
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: January 01, 2004
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Sales Rank: 23600
Studio: Washington Square Press



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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Folger Shakespeare Library

The world's leading center for Shakespeare studies

Each edition includes:

• Freshly edited text based on the best early

printed version of the play

• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

• Scene-by-scene plot summaries

• A key to famous lines and phrases

• An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Alexander Leggatt

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., 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.





Customer Reviews
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Oh that crazy merchant
If one can get past the blatant anti-semitism of this play, you will be sucked into a hilarious battle of wits. This is actually called a drama, but it contains romance and very hysterical lines and gives women a role that is seldom in seen in works of this time period. Classic characters and classic lines!



Rating: 1 out of 5 stars - NOT the Folger Shakespeare Library - No Annotations!
I clicked on the "Kindle Version" link from the paperback "The Merchant of Venice (Folger Shakespeare Library)" since I had purchased several of the Folger hard-copy editions and found the full facing page annotations a huge help in getting the most from the plays. I was worried that the alternating pages of annotations and text would be a bit cumbersome on the Kindle. I need not have worried, as the annotations, and all other extra features, are MISSING. The product description, however, of the ... Read More



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - A play about racism or business ethics?
Most reviewers focus on the issue of religion - Shylock as a Jew - but fail to look past the issues of faith and consider the discussion of business ethics in "The Merchant of Venice".

I won't go into the racism and religions arguments because I have nothing new to say on those subjects, and they have been done to death by everyone from high school freshmen to PhD candidates.

As much as any other theme, greed and impact of greed on business are themes that don't get the consideration ... Read More



Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Remembering history
_Merchant_ is a hard play to swallow -- brilliantly written and scathing in content. One worries about the futures of all the characters, most of whom are so flawed as to inspire only pity for their respective beloveds. The deus ex machina ending, in which Portia conjures happiness all around out of thin air -- except, of course, for Shylock, is merely bewildering.

Yet _Merchant_ should not be forgotten. One gets the impression that Shakespeare *wanted* his audience to be uncomfortable with some ... Read More



Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - An Indictment of Both Religions?
One cannot read Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice without realizing the significance that religion takes in the play, specifically the portrayal of the Jewish and Christian characters. When we first encounter the play's principal Jew, Shylock, we can only feel resentment towards him for the way he carries himself and conducts his business. Then, when first exposed to the play's principal Christian characters--Antonio, Bassanio, and Portia--the audience likely feels sympathetic towards them because of their ... Read More




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