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The Merchant of Venice Published

1596 AD · Early Modern

ArtCultureEconomicsReligionLaw

A play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. It tells the story of a merchant in Venice named Antonio who defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. The play contains two famous speeches: Shylock's 'Hath not a Jew eyes?' on the subject of humanity, and Portia's on 'the quality of mercy'.

Key Figures

William ShakespeareRichard BurbageFrancis Meres

Locations

London, EnglandThe Theatre

Topics

artlovejudiasmjewishEnglandliteratureplay

Connected Events — 1 Connection

The Merchant of Venice's themes of commercial risk, venture capitalism, and cross-cultural trade tensions reflected the same merchant-investor mindset that funded Virginia Company expeditions to establish Jamestown Jamestown is Founded

May 14, 1607 · Politics · Early Modern

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