The Merchant Of Venice (The Arden Shakespeare) - Hardcover

William Shakespeare

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0174435800 ISBN 13: 9780174435808

Publisher: Arden Shakespeare, 1961

Synopsis

Webster's paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in English courses. By using a running English-to-Estonian thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare was edited for three audiences. The first includes Estonian-speaking students enrolled in an English Language Program (ELP), an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) program, an English as a Second Language Program (ESL), or in a TOEFL or TOEIC preparation program. The second audience includes English-speaking students enrolled in bilingual education programs or Estonian speakers enrolled in English-speaking schools. The third audience consists of students who are actively building their vocabularies in Estonian in order to take foreign service, translation certification, Advanced Placement (AP) or similar examinations. By using the Webster's Estonian Thesaurus Edition when assigned for an English course, the reader can enrich their vocabulary in anticipation of an examination in Estonian or English.
TOEFL, TOEIC, AP and Advanced Placement are trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which has neither reviewed nor endorsed this book. All rights reserved.

About this title

Review:

"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?" Shylock's impassioned plea in the middle of The Merchant of Venice is one of its most dramatic moments. After the Holocaust, the play has become a battleground for those who argue that the play represents Shakespeare's ultimate statement against ignorance and anti-Semitism in favour of a liberal vision of tolerance and multiculturalism. Other critics have pointed out that the play is, after all, a comedy that ultimately pokes fun at a 16th-century Jew. In fact, the bare outline of the plot suggests that the play is far more complex than either of these characterisations. Bassanio, a feckless young Venetian, asks his wealthy friend, the merchant Antonio, for money to finance a trip to woo the beautiful Portia in Belmont. Reluctant to refuse his friend (to whom he professes intense love), Antonio borrows the money from the Jewish moneylender. If he reneges on the deal, Shylock jokingly demands a pound of his flesh. When all Antonio's ships are lost at sea, Shylock calls in his debt, and the love and laughter of the first scenes of the play threaten to give way to death and tragedy. The final climactic courtroom scene, complete with a cross-dressed Portia, a knife-wielding Shylock, and the debate on "the quality of mercy" is one of the great dramatic moments in Shakespeare. The controversial subject matter of the play ensures that it continues to repel, divide but also fascinate its many audiences. --Jerry Brotton

Review:

"First published in the 1930s, these works, published here in economical paperback editions . . . are still considered definitive."-Stages ?First published in the 1930s, these works, published here in economical paperback editions . . . are still considered definitive.?-Stages

About this edition

• Publisher: Arden Shakespeare
• Publication date: 1961
• ISBN 10: 0174435800
• ISBN 13: 9780174435808
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 232
• Editor: John Russell-Brown