The Merchant of Venice
Readers rate it 3.8 (293 on Hardcover)
304 pages · Released 2004 · Simon & Schuster
Content report card
The Merchant of Venice parent’s guide: what’s inside
Sexual content
LGBTQ+ themes
Substance use
What it offers
A note for parents
The Merchant of Venice is a canonical Shakespeare play frequently taught in high school, featuring themes of mercy, justice, and prejudice alongside romantic and comedic elements. The play contains a central conflict involving a literal contract for a pound of flesh and outdated antisemitic stereotyping that requires mature discussion. While there is no graphic violence and language is period-appropriate, the thematic content around prejudice, usury, and mercy—plus the complexity of Shylock's characterization—makes this suitable for teens 13+ with guidance rather than younger middle-grade readers.
Analyzed by AI · 1 month ago
Read it with your kids?
Rate it and suggest an age to help other parents.
From the publisher
In The Merchant of Venice, the path to marriage is hazardous. To win Portia, Bassanio must pass a test prescribed by her father’s will, choosing correctly among three caskets or chests. If he fails, he may never marry at all. Bassanio and Portia also face a magnificent villain, the moneylender Shylock. In creating Shyl... In The Merchant of Venice, the path to marriage is hazardous. To win Portia, Bassanio must pass a test prescribed by her father’s will, choosing correctly among three caskets or chests. If he fails, he may never marry at all. Bassanio and Portia also face a magnificent villain, the moneylender Shylock. In creating Shylock, Shakespeare seems to have shared in a widespread prejudice against Jews. Shylock would have been regarded as a villain because he was a Jew. Yet he gives such powerful expression to his alienation due to the hatred around him that, in many productions, he emerges as the hero. Portia is most remembered for her disguise as a lawyer, Balthazar, especially the speech in which she urges Shylock to show mercy that “droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.” The authoritative edition of The Merchant of Venice from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes: -Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play -Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play -Scene-by-scene plot summaries -A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases -An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language -An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play -Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books -An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading Essay by Alexander Leggatt The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
Shelved under
- Drama
- classics
- funny
- Fiction
- History
- Religion
- Humor
- Study Aids
- English drama
- Young Adult Fiction
- Juvenile Nonfiction
Share this guide
ISBN 9780743477567 · Simon & Schuster