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In ''The Merchant of Venice'', one of [[William Shakespeare's plays]], the path to marriage is hazardous. To win Portia, Bassanio must pass a test prescribed by her father's will, choosing correctly among three caskets or chests. If he fails, he may never marry at all.

Bassanio and Portia also face a magnificent villain, the moneylender Shylock. In creating Shylock, Shakespeare seems to have shared in a widespread prejudice against Jews. Shylock would have been regarded as a villain because he was a Jew. Yet he gives such powerful expression to his alienation due to the hatred around him that, in many productions, he emerges as the hero. 

Portia is most remembered for her disguise as a lawyer, Balthazar, especially the speech in which she urges Shylock to show mercy that "droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven". 

Shakespeare is believed to have written ''The Merchant of Venice'' in 1596-97. It was published in 1600 as a quarto. He drew on several works as sources, but chiefly on a story from Ser Giovanni Fiorentino's ''Il Pecorone (The Dunce)''.<ref>Adapted from the Folger Library Shakespeare edition, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. © 1992 Folger Shakespeare Library.</ref>

== Productions at the Folger ==
*[[District Merchants|''District Merchants'' (2016)]] 
*[[The Merchant of Venice (Source Theatre Company, 1995)|''The Merchant of Venice'' (Source Theatre Company, 1995)]]

== Early editions ==

'''First Folio'''

:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/fj8713/ First Folio]: O4r - Q2v
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=78903/ STC 22273 Fo.1 no.68]

'''Second Folio'''

:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/70hx7b/ Second Folio]: o4r - Q2v
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=97486/ STC 22274 Fo.2 no.07]

'''First Quarto'''

:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/j3s01r/ First Quarto]
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=163955/ STC 22296 Copy 1]

'''Second Quarto'''

:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/7vjm8g/ Second Quarto]
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=163947/ STC 22297 Copy 1]

'''Third Quarto'''

:LUNA: [http://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/n3i2nt/ Third Quarto]
:Hamnet: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=163944/ STC 22298 Copy 1]

<gallery>
File:STC 22273 Fo.1 no.68 O3v-O4r.jpg|The title page of ''The Merchant of Venice'' printed in the 1623 First Folio. STC 22273 Fo.1 no.68.
File:STC 22274 Fo.2 no.07 o4r.jpg|The 1632 Second Folio title page of ''The Merchant of Venice''. STC 22274 Fo.2 no.07.
File:STC 22296 copy 1 title page.jpg|The title page of ''The Merchant of Venice'' printed in the 1600 First Quarto. STC 22296.
File:STC 22297 copy 3 title page.jpg|The 1600 [i.e. 1619] Second Quarto title page of ''The Merchant of Venice''. STC 22297 copy 3. 
File:STC 22298 Copy 1 title page.jpg|The title page of the 1637 Third Quarto edition of ''The Merchant of Venice''. STC 22298 copy 1.
</gallery>

== Modern editions ==
[[File:Merchant of Venice Folger Edition.jpg|150px|right]]
''The Merchant of Venice'' can be read online with [http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/?chapter=5&play=MV&loc=p7/ Folger Digital Texts] and purchased from [http://books.simonandschuster.net/Merchant-of-Venice/William-Shakespeare/Folger-Shakespeare-Library/9780743477567/ Simon and Schuster].

:Hamnet link to Folger Edition: [http://shakespeare.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=124081/ PR2753 .M6 2002 copy 2 v.23]









==In popular culture==

=== Film ===

Watch the trailer for the 2004 adaptation of this challenging work, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Joseph Fiennes.

<html5media height "180" width "320">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtYGzr8Nx-8</html5media>

== Translations ==
The Folger owns over 100 stand-alone translations of ''The Merchant of Venice'' in various languages (not including collected works). Cataloging of these works is ongoing as of early 2015, and many have full-level catalog records, but some works still have only partial records. Translations can be found [[Hamnet]] in by searching for "Translations"in the '''Genre/Form Term''' field, or by searching the '''Call Number (Left-Anchored)''' field for call numbers starting with PR2796 (see the list of [[List of Sh.Col. call numbers#PR2796 .E2.80.93 Translations|Sh.Col. translations call numbers]] for specific language call numbers). Since not all translations are fully cataloged, some items may only turn up in one of these searches.

== Performance materials == 

== Other media ==

===Image Group===

Explore the curated [https://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/s/v3gole image group] for ''The Merchant of Venice'' in the Folger digital image collection.

''Content Advisory:'' this media group contains representations of actors performing in anti-Semitic attitudes and costuming.

== Notes ==
<references />

[[Category: William Shakespeare's works]]
[[Category: Plays]]
[[Category: Comedies]]
[[Category: The Merchant of Venice|Merchant of Venice, The]]
[[Category: Public programs]]
[[Category: Folger Theatre]]
[[Category: Source Theatre Company]]
[[Category: 16th century]]
[[Category: Early modern drama]]