Grappling with The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice is both Shakespeare's most controversial play and one of his most popular. But despite being written over 400 years ago, this work is not just a window into the ages of Elizabeth and James--it is also a compelling commentary on the ages we are now living through. Shakespeare's capacity to critique unjust exercises of power and hierarchies based on class, gender, and race provides a lens through which contemporary events can be usefully understood.

In the only book-length dialogue on The Merchant of Venice, two authors grapple with how this play can offer important insights into cultural biases and polarization in America. The conversational format invites both authors to explore their perspectives on a wide range of issues that make The Merchant of Venice as vital and as topical now as when it was first written. Sometimes in perfect agreement, sometimes at odds, John Lutz and Peter Josyph are alike in their admiration for Shakespeare's complex representation of a corrupt and patriarchal society that remains relevant today.