Feb 2024: One Fell Swoop: Reading All of Shakespeare Plays - The Merchant of Venice

Tuesday, February 27, 2024, 4:00-5:30 pm EST

 

Pre-registration is required, and we ask you to register only if you can be present for the FULL session. All readings are available online. Participants who successfully complete ALL sessions will be eligible to receive an Amazon e-gift certificate.

One of the most problematic of Shakespeare's so-called “problem plays,” The Merchant of Venice provides us with the opportunity to talk about early modern attitudes towards markets, merchants, and towards the Jews who were so often engaged with both. We will surely tackle the question that plague this play, “How anti-Semitic was Shakespeare? How anti-Semitic is the play?” But equally importantly, we will consider what the play has to say about mercy, about faith, and about risk.

 

Readings: The Merchant of Venice