Get it for less! Order it used
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Merchant of Venice (Folger Ed.) (New Folger Library Shakespeare)
  
Search inside another edition of this book

Merchant of Venice (Folger Ed.) (New Folger Library Shakespeare) (Library Binding)

by William Shakespeare (Author), Paul Werstine (Editor), Barbara A. Mowat (Editor) "This is substantially the list given in Q3 (1637) ..." (more)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.


Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (Reprint) 2 used & new from £23.73
Paperback (New edition) £11.99 £8.95 28 used & new from £1.35
Mass Market Paperback (Washington Square Press new Folger's ed) 26 used & new from £0.01
Library Binding 7 used & new from £4.19
Hardcover (Large Print) £12.95 £12.95 7 used & new from £12.92
ExpandShow more editions and formats

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Twelfth Night (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)

Twelfth Night (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)

by William Shakespeare
£7.19
"A Midsummer Nights Dream" (Arden Shakespeare: Second Series)

"A Midsummer Nights Dream" (Arden Shakespeare: Second Series)

by William Shakespeare
4.2 out of 5 stars (5)  £6.63
"King Henry IV": Pt. 1 (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)

"King Henry IV": Pt. 1 (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)

by William Shakespeare
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £7.73
"Titus Andronicus" (Arden Shakespeare.Third Series)

"Titus Andronicus" (Arden Shakespeare.Third Series)

by William Shakespeare
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £6.68
King Richard II (Arden Shakespeare.Third Series)

King Richard II (Arden Shakespeare.Third Series)

by William Shakespeare
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £8.14
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Library Binding
  • Publisher: Tandem Library (Oct 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0808508954
  • ISBN-13: 978-0808508953
  • Product Dimensions: 18.1 x 10.7 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

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 out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

In the CliffsComplete guides, the novel′s complete text and a glossary appear side–by–side with coordinating numbered lines to help you understand unusual words and phrasing. You′ll also find all the commentary and resources of a standard CliffsNotes for Literature.

CliffsComplete The Merchant of Venice offers insight and information into a work that′s rich both dramatically and thematically. Every generation since Shakespeare′s time has been able to identify with some thematic aspect of the play.

Discover what happens to a young merchant who cannot repay a debt to a vindictive money lender; meet the menacing Shylock, one of the most vivid and memorable characters in Shakespeare′s works — and save valuable studying time — all at once. Enhance your reading of The Merchant of Venice with these additional features:

  • A summary and insightful commentary for each act
  • Bibliography and historical background on the author, William Shakespeare
  • A look at Early Modern English intellect, religion, politics, and society
  • Coverage of Shakespeare′s source and the play′s performance history
  • A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
  • Review questions, a quiz, discussion guide, and activity ideas
  • A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Web sites

Streamline your literature study with all–in–one help from CliffsComplete guides! --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
This is substantially the list given in Q3 (1637). Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(4)
(3)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Merchant of Venice (Folger Ed.) (New Folger Library Shakespeare)
75% buy the item featured on this page:
Merchant of Venice (Folger Ed.) (New Folger Library Shakespeare) 4.8 out of 5 stars (8)
The Merchant of Venice (York Notes)
10% buy
The Merchant of Venice (York Notes) 4.5 out of 5 stars (2)
£3.58
The Merchant of Venice (Oxford School Shakespeare)
4% buy
The Merchant of Venice (Oxford School Shakespeare)
£3.58
The Merchant of Venice (Penguin Popular Classics)
4% buy
The Merchant of Venice (Penguin Popular Classics) 4.5 out of 5 stars (2)
£2.00
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
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 500 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...
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
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 6 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 23 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 July 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

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject









i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.