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The Merchant of Venice

c. 1596–1598 · 16th century

The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare, written in the late 1590s. It tells of the Venetian merchant Antonio, who borrows money from the Jewish moneylender Shylock on the bond of a pound of his flesh, and of Portia, who saves him in court. Its portrayal of Shylock has made it one of Shakespeare's most discussed plays. Julius Nyerere translated it into Swahili.

The Merchant of Venice
Image: Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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TanzaniaSummarySwahiliSummary

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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). The Merchant of Venice. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/the-merchant-of-venice
MLA
“The Merchant of Venice.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/the-merchant-of-venice. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “The Merchant of Venice.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/the-merchant-of-venice.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘The Merchant of Venice’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/the-merchant-of-venice (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻