The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare in Production) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Charles Edelman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0521774292 | ISBN-13: 978-0521774291

The Merchant of Venice has had a rich and varied stage history. It has aroused controversy for over four hundred years. The introduction to this edition challenges many of the preconceptions associated with the play, showing how historical events and cultural attitudes have influenced actors' interpretations and audience responses. The commentary describes how actors, directors and designers have approached the play from the first performances in the 1590s to the present.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This latest addition to the Shakespeare in Production series ... is highly recommended for all libraries with drama, literature and performance collections.' Reference Reviews

'I cannot recommend too highly the whole series (a bargain at £16.99 for each play) to all theatre lovers, theatregoers, theatre practitioners, and anybody who enjoys Shakespeare.' Robert Tanitch, What's on in London

Book Description

No play ever written owns as rich and varied a stage history as The Merchant of Venice. For over four hundred years it has aroused controversy. This edition is the first to offer a comprehensive account of the Merchant in performance. The introduction challenges many of the preconceptions associated with the play, showing how historical events and cultural attitudes have shaped actors' interpretations and audience responses. The commentary describes how actors, directors and designers have approached the play from the first performances in the 1590s to the present day.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (February 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521774292
• ISBN-13: 978-0521774291
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,559,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.

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5.0 out of 5 stars So easy to find!, February 26, 2010

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This review is from: The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare in Production) (Paperback)

Could not have found this book in my local bookstore or the big box bookstore in the next town. It arrived early and in exactly the condition described.