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Shakespeare Made Easy - The Merchant of Venice (Paperback)

by Alan Durband (Author) "This is substantially the list given in Q3 (1637) ..." (more)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Nelson Thornes; New edition edition (1 April 1984)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0748703632
  • ISBN-13: 978-0748703630
  • Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 12.6 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 176,700 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #7 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Shakespeare, William > Criticism & Study Aids > Plays > The Merchant of Venice
    #32 in  Books > Children's Books > Hobbies & Interests > Arts & Crafts > Theatre & Drama

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?" Shylock's impassioned plea in the middle of The Merchant of Venice is one of its most dramatic moments. After the Holocaust, the play has become a battleground for those who argue that the play represents Shakespeare's ultimate statement against ignorance and anti-Semitism in favour of a liberal vision of tolerance and multiculturalism. Other critics have pointed out that the play is, after all, a comedy that ultimately pokes fun at a 16th-century Jew. In fact, the bare outline of the plot suggests that the play is far more complex than either of these characterisations. Bassanio, a feckless young Venetian, asks his wealthy friend, the merchant Antonio, for money to finance a trip to woo the beautiful Portia in Belmont. Reluctant to refuse his friend (to whom he professes intense love), Antonio borrows the money from the Jewish moneylender. If he reneges on the deal, Shylock jokingly demands a pound of his flesh. When all Antonio's ships are lost at sea, Shylock calls in his debt, and the love and laughter of the first scenes of the play threaten to give way to death and tragedy. The final climactic courtroom scene, complete with a cross-dressed Portia, a knife-wielding Shylock, and the debate on "the quality of mercy" is one of the great dramatic moments in Shakespeare. The controversial subject matter of the play ensures that it continues to repel, divide but also fascinate its many audiences. --Jerry Brotton --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


Product Description

The Shakespeare Made Easy series aims to take the fear out of Shakespeare. By having Shakespearean and Modern English facing each other, pupils will find it easier to comprehend the text. Through discussion of the life, work and theatre of Shakespeare pupils can gain a more rounded understanding of these classic works.
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This is substantially the list given in Q3 (1637). Read the first page
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8 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Arden Shakespeare, 3 Nov 2007
By Spider Monkey (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: "The Merchant of Venice" (Arden Shakespeare: Second Series) (Paperback)
In some respects I think it'd be rather presumptuous of me to attempt to review Shakespeare. Someone so well known and influential wouldn't benefit from my opinions on their work, plus there are more scholarly and concise reviews out there. But I can comment on these Arden versions. Of all the Shakespeare I've read I've always found the Arden copies to be well laid out and to have excellent commentary and notes on the text. They really add to your understanding of Shakespeares outstanding plays and introduce you to the depth in his work. They have superb paper quality and are bound well, withstanding repeated readings and intensive study. For your collection of Shakespeare you can't do much better than Arden publications, some are quite hard to get hold of but it's worth the effort.
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent play with inciteful notes from the editor, 29 April 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Merchant of Venice (The new Penguin Shakespeare) (Paperback)
Few people would quibble with the labelling of the 'Merchant' as a masterpiece. Seen in today's light it appears as a bitter attack on prejudice and anti-Semitism as well as a scathing inditement on 16th Century Christian arrogance and hypocrisy. This combined with sarcastic nuance and a genuinely thrilling court scene make the play a true classic. Moelwyn Merchant adds significantly to the understanding of the text and enables the reader to grasp the genius of Shakespeare more fully. He makes incisive points that will help any student studying the text or any actor who wishes to understand his character more fully. A definite recommendation for anyone who has to read the play or just for the literary enthusiast. I defy anyone to dislike this play.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars One of his most intriguing plays..., 7 Jan 2009
By Robbie Swale - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
This review is from: "The Merchant of Venice" (Arden Shakespeare: Second Series) (Paperback)
The joy of Shakespeare from an actor's point of view is the myriad ways you can perform them. And Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare's best plays for that reason - each of the characters is so open to interpretation that this play (even more than is usual for Shakespeare) could be put together in almost infinite ways. Add to that the scene which gave birth to all today's courtroom dramas, and one Shakespeare's most famous and interesting characters in Shylock, and this is a play which I recommend highly for potential actors/directors and audience members.

Normally Arden editions are my edition of choice by a long way, and that is still true here. But the introduction is rather dated in this edition - it was written around 50 years ago - and this means that some issues in the play (notably the potentially homosexual relationship between Antonio and Bassanio) are totally skimmed over, where in a recently written edition I am sure this would be explored in full. Having said that, though, the notes are informative to the right level and the text is authoritative.

The dated intro means I've dropped it a star... If Arden bring out a new edition it'll get a fifth...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars good version - for now
Good version - but the new RSC Macmillan series is better although this title not yet available in that series.
Published 4 months ago by Ripple

5.0 out of 5 stars User-friendly Merchant
Oxford School Shakespeare editions of the Bard's most popular plays are reassuring for students tackling Shakespeare for the first time and their edition of 'The Merchant of... Read more
Published on 5 May 2003 by Frances Bulwer

5.0 out of 5 stars Merchant
This is the story of a merchant who's (probably gay)love of Bassanio allows him to borrow money from a man he hates, for Bassanio's sake. Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2002 by Steven

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm, wonderful, adult morality play
This is a wonderful play - and unless you have seen it or read it you don't know it at all. That's because everything the popular culture tells us about this play is false (for... Read more
Published on 31 Jul 2002 by Tom Blair

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant play discussing highly controversial themes!
The Merchant of Venice is an example of a Shakespearean play that allows the reader to become engaged and understand the drama at the first attempt. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2002 by trickey_101

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