The most influential writer in all of English literature, William

Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glover in

Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare attended grammar
school, but his formal education proceeded no further. In 1582 he
married an older woman, Anne Hathaway, and had three children with
her. Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to
work as an actor and playwright. Public and critical acclaim quickly
followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular
playwright in England and part-owner of the Globe Theater. His career
bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 15581603) and James I (ruled
16031625), and he was a favorite of both monarchs. Indeed, James
granted Shakespeares company the greatest possible compliment by
bestowing upon its members the title of Kings Men. Wealthy and
renowned, Shakespeare retired to Stratford and died in 1616 at the
age of fifty-two. At the time of Shakespeares death, literary luminaries
such as Ben Jonson hailed his works as timeless.

Shakespeares works were collected and printed in various editions in

the century following his death, and by the early eighteenth century, his
reputation as the greatest poet ever to write in English was well
established. The unprecedented admiration garnered by his works led
to a fierce curiosity about Shakespeares life, but the dearth of
biographical information has left many details of Shakespeares
personal history shrouded in mystery. Some people have concluded
from this fact and from Shakespeares modest education that
Shakespeares plays were actually written by someone elseFrancis
Bacon and the Earl of Oxford are the two most popular candidates
but the support for this claim is overwhelmingly circumstantial, and the
theory is not taken seriously by many scholars.

In the absence of credible evidence to the contrary, Shakespeare must

be viewed as the author of the thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets that
bear his name. The legacy of this body of work is immense. A number
of Shakespeares plays seem to have transcended even the category
of brilliance, becoming so influential as to affect profoundly the course
of Western literature and culture ever after.

The Merchant of Venice was probably written in either 1596 or 1597,

after Shakespeare had written such plays as Romeo and
Juliet and Richard III, but before he penned the great tragedies of his
later years. Its basic plot outline, with the characters of the merchant,
the poor suitor, the fair lady, and the villainous Jew, is found in a
number of contemporary Italian story collections, and Shakespeare
borrowed several details, such the choice of caskets that Portiainflicts
on all her suitors, from preexisting sources. The Merchant of Venices
Italian setting and marriage plot are typical of Shakespeares earlier
comedies, but the characters of Portia, Shakespeares first great
heroine, and the unforgettable villain Shylock elevate this play to a new
level.
Shylocks cries for a pound of flesh have made him one of literatures
most memorable villains, but many readers and playgoers have found
him a compelling and sympathetic figure. The question of whether or
not Shakespeare endorses the anti-Semitism of the Christian
characters in the play has been much debated. Jews in Shakespeares
England were a marginalized group, and Shakespeares
contemporaries would have been very familiar with portrayals of Jews
as villains and objects of mockery. For example, Christopher
Marlowes The Jew of Malta, a bloody farce about a murderous Jewish
villain, was a great popular success and would have been fresh in
Shakespeares mind as he set about creating his own Jewish
character. Shakespeare certainly draws on this anti-Semitic tradition in
portraying Shylock, exploiting Jewish stereotypes for comic effect. But
Shylock is a more complex character than the Jew in Marlowes play,
and Shakespeare makes him seem more human by showing that his
hatred is born of the mistreatment he has suffered in a Christian
society. Shakespeares character includes an element of pathos as
well as comedy, meaning that he elicits from readers and audiences
pity and compassion, rather than simply scorn and derision.
Although critics tend to agree that Shylock is The Merchant of Venices
most noteworthy figure, no consensus has been reached on whether to
read him as a bloodthirsty bogeyman, a clownish Jewish stereotype, or
a tragic figure whose sense of decency has been fractured by the
persecution he endures. Certainly, Shylock is the plays antagonist,
and he is menacing enough to seriously imperil the happiness of
Venices businessmen and young lovers alike. Shylock is also,
however, a creation of circumstance; even in his single-minded pursuit
of a pound of flesh, his frequent mentions of the cruelty he has
endured at Christian hands make it hard for us to label him a natural
born monster. In one of Shakespeares most famous monologues, for
example, Shylock argues that Jews are humans and calls his quest for
vengeance the product of lessons taught to him by the cruelty of
Venetian citizens. On the other hand, Shylocks coldly calculated
attempt to revenge the wrongs done to him by murdering his
persecutor, Antonio, prevents us from viewing him in a primarily
positive light. Shakespeare gives us unmistakably human moments,
but he often steers us against Shylock as well, painting him as a
miserly, cruel, and prosaic figure.

Quick-witted, wealthy, and beautiful, Portia embodies the virtues that

are typical of Shakespeares heroinesit is no surprise that she
emerges as the antidote to Shylocks malice. At the beginning of the
play, however, we do not see Portias potential for initiative and
resourcefulness, as she is a near prisoner, feeling herself absolutely
bound to follow her fathers dying wishes. This opening appearance,
however, proves to be a revealing introduction to Portia, who emerges
as that rarest of combinationsa free spirit who abides rigidly by rules.
Rather than ignoring the stipulations of her fathers will, she watches a
stream of suitors pass her by, happy to see these particular suitors go,
but sad that she has no choice in the matter. When Bassanio arrives,
however, Portia proves herself to be highly resourceful, begging the
man she loves to stay a while before picking a chest, and finding
loopholes in the wills provision that we never thought possible. Also, in
her defeat of Shylock Portia prevails by applying a more rigid standard
than Shylock himself, agreeing that his contract very much entitles him
to his pound of flesh, but adding that it does not allow for any loss of
blood. Anybody can break the rules, but Portias effectiveness comes
from her ability to make the law work for her.
Portia rejects the stuffiness that rigid adherence to the law might
otherwise suggest. In her courtroom appearance, she vigorously
applies the law, but still flouts convention by appearing disguised as a
man. After depriving Bassanio of his ring, she stops the prank before it
goes to far, but still takes it far enough to berate Bassanio and
Gratiano for their callousness, and she even insinuates that she has
been unfaithful.

Key Facts

full title The Comical History of the Merchant of Venice, or

Otherwise Called the Jew of Venice
author William Shakespeare
type of work Play
genre Comedy
language English
time and place written 1598; London, England
date of first publication First published in the Quarto of 1600
publisher I. R. for Thomas Heys
tone Comic, romantic, tragic
setting (time) Sixteenth century
setting (place) Venice and Belmont, Italy
protagonist There is no clear protagonist. Antonio is the merchant
of the plays title, but he plays a relatively passive role. The major
struggles of the play are Bassanios quest to marry Portia and his
attempt to free Antonio from Shylock, so Bassanio is the likeliest
candidate.
major conflict Antonio defaults on a loan he borrowed from Shylock,
wherein he promises to sacrifice a pound of flesh.
rising action Antonios ships, the only means by which he can pay
off his debt to Shylock, are reported lost at sea.
climax Portia, disguised as a man of law, intervenes on Antonios
behalf.
falling action Shylock is ordered to convert to Christianity and
bequeath his possessions to Lorenzo and Jessica; Portia and Nerissa
persuade their husbands to give up their rings
themes Self-interest versus love; the divine quality of mercy; hatred
as a cyclical phenomenon
motifs The law; cross-dressing; filial piety
symbols The pound of flesh; Leahs ring; the three caskets
foreshadowing In the plays opening scene, Shakespeare
foreshadows Antonios grim future by suggesting both his
indebtedness to a creditor and the loss of his valuable ships.

Written sometime between 1596 and 1598, The Merchant of Venice is

classified as both an early Shakespearean comedy (more specifically,
as a "Christian comedy") and as one of the Bard's problem plays; it is a
work in which good triumphs over evil, but serious themes are
examined and some issues remain unresolved.

In Merchant, Shakespeare wove together two ancient folk tales, one

involving a vengeful, greedy creditor trying to exact a pound of flesh,
the other involving a marriage suitor's choice among three chests and
thereby winning his (or her) mate. Shakespeare's treatment of the first
standard plot scheme centers around the villain of Merchant, the
Jewish moneylender Shylock, who seeks a literal pound of flesh from
his Christian opposite, the generous, faithful Antonio. Shakespeare's
version of the chest-choosing device revolves around the play's
Christian heroine Portia, who steers her lover Bassanio toward the
correct humble casket and then successfully defends his bosom friend
Antonio from Shylock's horrid legal suit.

In the modern, post-Holocaust readings of Merchant, the problem of

anti-Semitism in the play has loomed large. A close reading of the text
must acknowledge that Shylock is a stereotypical caricature of a cruel,
money-obsessed medieval Jew, but it also suggests that
Shakespeare's intentions in Merchant were not primarily anti-Semitic.
Indeed, the dominant thematic complex in The Merchant of Venice is
much more universal than specific religious or racial hatred; it spins
around the polarity between the surface attractiveness of gold and the
Christian qualities of mercy and compassion that lie beneath the flesh.