‘The Merchant of Venice’ is centered around a merchant named Antonio who defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare’s other romantic comedies, the play is most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and it is best known for Shylock and his famous demand for a “pound of flesh” in retribution.
‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a play whose central theme can be identified as the conflict between selflessness and self-interest. Other themes include greed, the cyclic increase of hatred, mercy, prejudice, and the opposites- playing versus perception.
