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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: THE AUTHOR AND HIS TIMES

The red-bearded man holds the knife high, poised to strike at his
victim's heart. The spectators are paralyzed with fear.

Can anything prevent him from gaining his bloody revenge? The
powerful Duke of Venice has already tried and failed. The only
remaining hope lies in a beautiful heroine, who has no weapons to
draw upon except a quick wit and a courageous spirit.

This suspenseful scene from The Merchant of Venice by William
Shakespeare has been reenacted thousands of times since the play's
first performance in the 1590s, and it never fails to keep audiences
enthralled. Along with the tragedy of Hamlet, it is one of the more
popular and frequently revived of Shakespeare's plays. It is also
one of the most controversial. Some readers and playgoers find in
the play an eloquent plea for tolerance; others feel uncomfortable
with its reliance on what they regard as anti-Semitic stereotypes.
The critics, meanwhile, cannot......

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Approximate Word Count: 25153
Approximate Pages: 101 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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