The Merchant of Venice: Shakespeare: The Critical Tradition

This volume documents the full tradition of criticism of The Merchant of Venice ranging from 1775 to 1939.

The Merchant of Venice has always been regarded as one of Shakespeare's most interesting plays, though it poses many challenges due to what is seen as its inherent anti-Semitism. Before the 19th century critical reaction is relatively fragmentary, but between then and the late 20th century the critical tradition reveals the power of the play to evoke emotion in the theatre. Since the m...