'To do a great right do a little wrong, And curb this cruel devil of his will.' Some bargains are struck in desperation. Some are collected in rage. William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice begins with one such bargain?Antonio, a merchant of Venice, borrows money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, to help his dear friend Bassanio court the wealthy Portia. Should he default, the price is a pound of flesh. When fortune turns and Shylock?humiliated, bereaved, and denied?comes to collect, Venice must decide what justice truly means. Woven through with romance, disguise, and wit, the play moves between laughter and cruelty with breathtaking ease. But it is Shylock who lingers, wronged as much as wronging, impossible to dismiss. Written between 1596 and 1598, The Merchant of Venice is Shakespeare at his most provocative, asking questions about prejudice, mercy, and the law that four centuries have yet to answer.