Overview
This edition of The Merchant of Venice opens by addressing Shakespeare's attitude to Semitism, and goes on to study the sources, background, and date, includuing a
discussion of Sigmund Freud's essay on 'The Three Caskets'. Professor
Halio interprets the play's contradictions, inconsistencies, and
complementarities, especially as these relate to the overarching theme
of bonds and bondage. A survey of the play's stage history ranges from
discussions of its early staging to important twentieth-century
productions and performances outside England, particularly in Israel.
The text, based on a fresh examination of the early editions, is
presented in modernized spelling and punctuation. Unfailingly lucid and
helpful, this is an ideal edition for students, actors, and the general
reader.