The Merchant of Venice: The State of Play

Description

The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare's most controversial plays, whose elements resonate even more profoundly in the current climate of rising racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-immigrant sentiment, queerphobia and right-wing nationalism. This collection of essays offers a 'freeze frame' that showcases a range of current debates and ideas surrounding the play. Each chapter has been carefully selected for its originality and relevance to your needs. Essays offer new perspectives that provide an up-to-date understanding of what's exciting and challenging about the play. Key themes and topics include: * Race and religion * Gender and sexuality * Philosophy * Animal studies * Adaptations and performance history

M. Lindsay Kaplan is Professor of English at Georgetown University, USA, where she teaches courses on Shakespeare, early modern drama, race and religion. She is the author of Figuring Racism in Medieval Christianity (2019), editor of The Merchant of Venice: Texts and Contexts (2002) and has published essays on The Merchant of Venice in Shakespeare Quarterly, Shakespeare Studies, and various volumes of collected essays.

This new collection responds to [the] political climate by exploring topics, such as, performance, adaptation, race, queerness, and the philosophies of risk in relation to the play, bringing the discourse up to date ... [A] diverse selection of papers that update or extend several areas of study in relation to Merchant. * Shakespeare *