Merchant of Venice

Documented Criticism of The Merchant of Venice

This volume documents the full tradition of criticism of The Merchant of Venice ranging from 1775 to 1939.

The Merchant of Venice has always been regarded as one of Shakespeare's most interesting plays, though it poses many challenges due to what is seen as its inherent anti-Semitism. Before the 19th century critical reaction is relatively fragmentary, but between then and the late 20th century the critical tradition reveals the power of the play to evoke emotion in the theatre. Since the middle of the 20th century, reactions to the drama have been influenced by the Nazi destruction of European Jewry.

An extensive introduction charts the reactions to the play up to the beginning of the 21st century and reflects changing reactions to prejudice in this period. Material by a variety of critics appears here for the first time since initial publication, including from Malone, Hazlitt, Jameson, Heine, Knight, Lewes, Halliwell-Phillips, Furnivall, Irving, Ruskin, Swinburne, Masefield, Gollancz and Quiller-Couch.

This revised edition features a new supplementary introduction by Gary Watt surveying and analyzing trends in criticism since the volume was first published in 2005, including a focus on:

• Jewishness and anti-Semitism and the character of Shylock
• mercantile, financial, risk, insurance, usury and credit
• trial, law, rhetoric, equity and justice
• gender, queer themes, cross-dressing and the Antonio-Bassanio relationship
• race and colonialism