Home
: Merchant of Venice
Merchant of Venice Study Guide & Essays
The Merchant of Venice was first printed in 1600 in quarto, of which nineteen copies survive. This was followed by a 1619 printing, and later an inclusion in the First Folio in 1623. The play was written shortly after Christopher Marlowe's immensely popular Jew of Malta (1589), a play wherein a Jew…
Merchant of Venice study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
- Short Summary
- About Merchant of Venice
- Character List
- Summary and Analysis of Act 1
- Summary and Analysis of Act 2
- Summary and Analysis of Act 3
- Summary and Analysis of Act 4
- Summary and Analysis of Act 5
View all of the Study Guide...
I am a little confused about the caskets and the logic in picking the right casket.
Are these actual caskets or just boxes? If they are really caskets, isn't that a little macabre? Finally, why is the lead casket considered threatening?
Are these actual caskets or just boxes? If they are really caskets, isn't that a little macabre? Finally, why is the lead casket considered threatening?
I've read some commentary that suggests that Antonio is homosexual. He is in love with Bassanio; this explains his melancholy at the beginning of the play, his willingness to lend him so much money and to give his life to save Bassanio's.
Any reactions?
Any reactions?


