Edited introduced & annotated by Cedric Watts Professor of English Literature University of Sussex The Wordsworth Classics' Shakespeare Series presents a newly-edited sequence of William Shakespeare's works The textual editing takes account of recent scholarship while giving the material a careful reappraisal The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies but it remains deeply controversial The text may seem anti-Semitic; yet repeatedly in performance it has revealed a contrasting nature Shylock though vanquished in the law-court often triumphs in the theatre In his intensity he can dominatethe play challenging abrasively its romantic & lyrical affirmations What results is a bitter-sweet drama Though The Merchant of Venice offers some of the traditional pleasures of romantic comedy it also exposesthe operations of prejudice Thus Shakespeare remains our contemporary