The Merchant of Venice (Signet Classics)
Category: Books,Literature & Fiction,Dramas & Plays
The Merchant of Venice (Signet Classics) Details
About the Author William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was a poet, playwright, and actor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language. Often referred to as the Bard of Avon, Shakespeare's vast body of work includes comedic, tragic, and historical plays; poems; and 154 sonnets. His dramatic works have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Read more
Reviews
Genius. No other word can explain how one man can make so many master works. Around half the reading of 'The Merchant of Venice' I was feeling it was a bit slow and, to be blunt, somehow pointless and perhaps predictable. But no, nothing is what seems and the first half prepares us to understand how extraordinaire is the character of Portia, maybe I am forgetting somebody but she is now my favorite heroine in literature. Super smart, absolutely amazing, beyond beautiful; cunning as a demon, lovely as an angel. She is just perfect. But not the dull and generic perfection that non talented writers incur so many times these days, because even when she portrays a man she is herself as well but in her own feminine way, with her own ideas and interests driven by her passions.Shakespeare has been a discovery to me, beyond his biography and the plot of Romeo and Juliet I didn't know about him, so I didn't know if this play would be either a tragedy or a comedy (and I wont tell you to not spoil you the reading). The second half is so thrilling, I fret about the words uttered by Bassanio unsuspectingly to a Portia in disguise, because it feels one of those tests a loved woman can put upon you, tests in which one world can forfeit you the world. Is so thrilling to know if Bassanio, Antonio and Shylock will surpass the test of so clever a heroine as Portia for love, trial and justice respectively. I didn't feel Shylock as a villain. The injustice of the insults by his customers and the fugue of his daughter Jessica with a Christian explain therefore the demand of justice, what could be mistaken by cruelty, but not: we would do the same in his place. This play is just perfect in that it resembles life.About the AmazonClassics edition it is another win. Excellent format, useful X-Ray, clear typography, and it contains only the masterwork, without introductions to spoil you the reading.
