This Norton Critical Edition has been carefully
edited to make The Merchant of Venice, its surrounding
history, and the history of its critical reception and
rewritings accessible to readers. The text of this
edition is based on the 1600 First Quarto, with light
editing and substantial explanatory annotations by Leah
S. Marcus. ''Sources and Contexts'' largely focuses on
the character of Shylock and the issue of anti-Semitism
in the play. Materials included are diverse, and at
times contradictory, allowing readers to draw their own
conclusions. Examples include seventeenth-century
anti-Semitic literature, an essay from the same period
defending Jews and arguing for their repatriation in
England, an examination of the Christian theology of the
play, and readings of The Merchant of Venice as
exclusionary for Jews, women, and people of color.
''Criticism'' collects twenty-one diverse
interpretations. In addition to Shylock and the question
of anti-Semitism, these essays address The Merchant of
Venice in the context of postcolonial, feminist, and
queer theory and explore relevant issues of economic
status and organization. ''Rewritings and
Appropriations'' includes excerpts from dramatic,
musical, and other literary adaptations of The Merchant
of Venice, as well as a selection of poems, most of them
from the twentieth century, on the character of Shylock.
A Selected Bibliography is also included. |
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