The Story of the Merchant of Venice is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1596. The story revolves around the wealthy merchant Antonio, who borrows money from the Jewish moneylender Shylock to help his friend Bassanio woo the beautiful and wealthy Portia. However, when Antonio is unable to repay the loan, Shylock demands a pound of his flesh as repayment.The play explores themes of love, friendship, loyalty, and justice, as well as the prejudice and discrimination faced by the Jewish community in Elizabethan England. It features iconic characters such as the cunning Portia, the loyal friend Bassanio, and the vengeful Shylock.First published in 1600, The Story of the Merchant of Venice has since become one of Shakespeare's most popular plays and is still widely performed and studied today. This edition, published in 1904, includes an introduction and notes by the renowned Shakespearean scholar Samuel Johnson.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.