The Merchant of Venice: Third Series (Arden Shakespeare)

The Merchant of Venice is perhaps most associated not with its titular hero, Antonio, but with the complex figure of the money lender, Shylock. The play was described as a comedy in the First Folio but its modern audiences find it more problematic to categorize. The vilification of Shylock "the Jew" can be very uncomfortable for a modern, post-holocaust audience and debates continue as to whether Shakespeare's portrayal of this complex man is sympathetic or anti-Semitic.