The Merchant of Venice (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780300115642)

The Annotated Shakespeare series enables readers to fully understand and enjoy the plays of the world's greatest dramatist

In this lively comedy of love and money in sixteenth-century Venice, Bassanio wants to impress the wealthy heiress Portia but lacks the necessary funds. He turns to his merchant friend, Antonio, who is forced to borrow from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. When Antonio's business falters, repayment becomes impossible--and by the terms of the loan agreement, Shylock is able to demand a pound of Antonio's flesh. Portia cleverly intervenes, and all ends well (except of course for Shylock).

This fully annotated version of Merchant of Venice makes the play completely accessible to readers in the twenty-first century. Eminent linguist and translator Burton Raffel offers generous help with vocabulary, pronunciation, and prosody and provides alternative readings of phrases and lines. His on-page annotations give readers all the tools they need to comprehend the play and begin to explore its many possible interpretations.

Author: William Shakespeare
ISBN-10: 0300115644
ISBN-13: 9780300115642
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 09/01/2006
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.35lbs
Size: 7.76h x 5.08w x 0.59d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 10/15/2006 pg. 97
Univ PR Books for Public Libry 01/01/2007 pg. 1 - Strongly Recommended