The Merchant of Venice tells the story of Antonio, who borrows money from the Jewish moneylender Shylock in order to pay his debts. As part of his promise to Shylock, Antonio promises him a pound of flesh if he cannot repay.
Set in Venice, this play is a great way to explore justice and law as well as lots of other themes you can use as routes into the text, including:
You can discover more about these themes and where they appear in the text in our Themes Resource.
There are so many different ways of exploring the text but you may find the following particularly useful in introducing the text:
The Merchant of Venice 1936
Watford Palace Theatre, a previous tour venue for The Merchant of Venice 1936, has built an Extended Storytelling Platform which offers an insight into the historical context of the production, exploring The Battle of Cable Street and British fascism in the 1930s.
Visit The Merchant of Venice 1936 Extended Storytelling Platform to discover more about the show and to access a range of resources including interactive challenges, first-hand testimonies, a timeline, and footage of the Battle.
