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The Merchant of Venice
- Words:
- 1940
- Submitted:
- Thu Jul 11 2002

... "The Merchant of Venice" was written by William Shakespeare almost certainly between 1596 and 1598 and was first performed at The Theater, London, in 1597. The play is classed as one of the sixteen comedy plays but it is also a "problem" play due to the tragic elements woven throughout the intricate plot. It was performed in front of a xenophobic, Elizabethan audience who were not particularly well educated or literate but they understood the complexities of the issues being raised in the play and would have been less sympathetic towards Shylock than a modern day audience. The play concludes with a harmonious ending but throughout the plot, reoccurring themes of sadness and tragedy are included. This is why "The Merchant of Venice" falls into one of the more difficult comedy plays. The play is set in Venice, an ancient civic republic and not a nation ruled by a King














