The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

"The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare is a play written between 1596 and 1598. When a Venetian merchant defaults on a loan from Jewish moneylender Shylock, who demands a pound of flesh as payment, fatal consequences loom. Though classified as a comedy, the play is best remembered for its dramatic scenes and Shylock's character. It features famous speeches on humanity and mercy, while sparking ongoing debate about whether the work is antisemitic in its portrayal of discrimination and justice. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616
Title The Merchant of Venice
Note Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merchant_of_Venice
Credits the PG Shakespeare Team, a team of about twenty Project Gutenberg volunteers
Reading Level Reading ease score: 82.0 (6th grade). Easy to read.
Language English
LoC Class PR: Language and Literatures: English literature
Subject Comedy plays
Subject Jews -- Italy -- Drama
Subject Moneylenders -- Drama
Subject Venice (Italy) -- Drama
Category Text
EBook-No. 1515
Release Date
Most Recently Updated Sep 18, 2025
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 3647 downloads in the last 30 days.
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