Shakespeare's engagement with anti-Semitic tradition is a notoriously disturbing feature of The Merchant of Venice. Douglas Lanier carefully shows how Shakespeare shuttles between language that emphasises irreconcilable differences, and language that emphasizes common humanity, and how you can productively analyse this language for yourself.The language of business-of monetary value, money-making, profit and loss, risk and reward-invades nearly all other issues and themes in The Merchant of Venice, and can also be challenging to grasp. This guide shows how to unpick this...

Shakespeare's engagement with anti-Semitic tradition is a notoriously disturbing feature of The Merchant of Venice. Douglas Lanier carefully shows how Shakespeare shuttles between language that emphasises irreconcilable differences, and language that emphasizes common humanity, and how you can productively analyse this language for yourself.The language of business-of monetary value, money-making, profit and loss, risk and reward-invades nearly all other issues and themes in The Merchant of Venice, and can also be challenging to grasp. This guide shows how to unpick this...