The Merchant of Venice; The Arden Shakespeare; Heath's English Classics by H.L. Withers, William Shakespeare - 1911

Boston, MA: D. C. Heath & Company, 1911 D. C. Heath & Company, Boston, MA. 1911. Hardcover. First Edition. The Arden Shakespeare Selection. Heath's English Classics Series. Retired small town public library copy. Book is tight, square, and unmarked but for F/O name on the FFFP; library name stamp on the front endpapers and rear pastedown; scattered areas of pencil notations throughout the text. Book Condition: Very Good; slight shelfwear to head, tail, and tips; slight dustsoiling to textblock top. No DJ. 142 pp 16mo. This is about a 16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. Although classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and it is best known for Shylock and his famous "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech on humanity. Also notable is Portia's speech about "the quality of mercy". A clean presentable copy.