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This new edition of Shakespeare´s bittersweet comedy of courtship and ethnic tension includes new interviews with leading directors and actors (Darko Tresnjak, David Thacker, Antony Sher and Henry Goodman), looks at specific productions in the play´s history, and features a new introduction by acclaimed scholar Jonathan Bate.

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From the Royal Shakespeare Company - a modern, definitive edition of Shakespeare´s bittersweet comedy of courtship and ethnic tension. With an expert introduction by Sir Jonathan Bate, this unique edition presents a historical overview of The Merchant of Venice in performance, takes a detailed look at specific productions, and recommends film versions. Included in this edition are interviews with two leading directors and two actors - Darko Tresjnak, David Thacker, Anthony Sher and Henry Goodman - providing an illuminating insight into the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible. This edition also includes an essay on Shakespeare´s career and Elizabethan theatre, and enables the reader to understand the play as it was originally intended - as living theatre to be enjoyed and performed.

Ideal for students, theatre-goers, actors and general readers, the RSC Shakespeare editions offer a fresh, accessible and contemporary approach to reading and rediscovering Shakespeare´s works for the twenty-first century.

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Introduction.- About the Text .- Key Facts .- The Merchant of Venice .- Textual Notes .- Scene-by-scene Analysis .- The Merchant of Venice in Performance: the RSC and Beyond .- Four Centuries of The Merchant : An Overview .- At the RSC .- The Director´s Cut: interviews with David Thacker and Darko Tresjnak.- Playing Shylock: interviews with Antony Sher and Henry Goodman .- Shakespeare´s Career in the Theatre .- Shakespeare´s Works: a Chronology .- Further Reading and Viewing .- References .- Acknowledgements and Picture Credits

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