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The Merchant of VeniceThis is an expanded version of the document distributed in Week 1 of the course.

Composed between 1596 and 1598; The play was mentioned by Francis Meres in 1598, so it

must have been familiar on the stage by that date.The title page of the first edition in 1600 states that it had been performed "divers times" by that date.

The play was entered in the Register of the Stationers Company – to secure copyright – by James Roberts on 22 July 1598 under the title The most excellent Historie of the Merchant of Venice.1 On 28 October 1600 Roberts transferred his right to the play to the stationer Thomas Heyes [Hayes] who published the first quarto [Q1] before the end of the year.

It was printed again in 1619, as part of William Jaggard's so-called False Folio. The Title Page incorrectly has

"Printed by J. Roberts, 1600." The false date and name betray the fact that Jaggard did not have a valid claim to publishing the title which now (i.e. by 1619) belonged to stationer Laurence Heyes (son of Thomas).2

Stationers’ Register Entry (see below):

1 The play was also known as The Jew of Venice as referenced in the Stationers’Register entry.2 See the MoV web page for a more full account of the ‘False Folio’: https://www.just-shakespeare.co.uk/the-merchant-of-venice.html .

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Stationers’ Register Transcription.3

  1598  Anno 40mo Regine Elizabeth                                                                    xxijo JulijJames Robertes./      Entred for his copie vnder the handes                                 of bothe the wardens, a booke                                 of the Marchaunt of Venyce                                 or otherwise called the Jewe                                 of Venyce / Prouided that                                 yt bee not prynted by the said James                                 Robertes or anye other whatsoeuer                                 without lycence first had from the                                 Right honorable the lord Chamberlen.         .       .       .         vjd

(cont.)

Francis Meres – Palladis Tamia or ‘Wits Treasury’ (1598):4

3 A facsimile of the Stationers’ Register entry can also be found on the MoV web page.4 Palladis Tamia translates from the Greek literally as "Pallas' Housewife". "Tamia" is the Greek word for a female slave in charge of a household, but it is more likely that "tamia" as used by Meres in this case is a form of "tamias", a dispenser, steward or treasurer, and here used to suggest the "Treasury" of Meres's subtitle. "Palladis" is the Latin genitive of "Pallas," another name for the goddess Athena, who in Greek mythology was the goddess of wisdom and statecraft. Thus, Palladis Tamia becomes the "dispenser" or "treasurer" of Pallas Athena, or "wisdom".

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The play’s principal sources: Apart from the bland statement that the ‘book’ records

The most excellent historie of the merchant of Venice the Title Page of Q1 flags the fact that the chief interest of the play for the public lay in two parallel strands:5

1. …the extreame crueltie of Shylocke the Iewe towards the sayd merchant, in cutting a iust pound of his flesh…

2. …and the obtayning of Portia by the choyse of three chests.

(cont.)Both strands rehearse well known traditional stories that were part of the international cultural heritage of the time.

Ser Giovanni Fiorentino: Il Pecorone: This collection of 50 short stories is the Italian for ‘The Simpleton’. It was written around the end of the 14th century and first printed in Italian in this 1558 edition.6

In  Il Pecorone (day 4, story 1), Ansaldo the merchant of Venice borrows money to give his ‘godson’ Giannetto, who says he wants to try his luck at sea. The Jew demands a pound of flesh if the bond is not repaid on time.

Without telling his godfather, Gianetto woos ‘the Lady of Belmonte’ using Ansaldo’s money. She is a ruthless widow who cheats her lovers by drugging them, but agrees to marry Giannetto on his third attempt.

5 In Shakespeare’s time the word ‘historie’ did not necessarily denote a ‘continuous chronological record of important or public events’ [OED, 1a]; as often as not it meant simply ‘A narration of incidents… ; a narrative, a story’ [OED, 1b]. 

6 ‘Ser’ was often adopted by those who were notaries – i.e. qualified to draw up legal documents, administer oaths and carry out other legal functions. Il Pecorone was not translated into English until after Shakespeare’s death.

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Completely forgetting about the bond, Gianetto comes back to Venice to find the Jew calling for his pound of flesh. But Gianetto’s wife has secretly disguised herself as a lawyer, and she foils the Jew’s plans by insisting that he sheds no drop of blood beyond the pound he asked for. The wife, in the guise of a lawyer, asks Giannetto for his ring in payment and then accuses him of giving it to his mistress. Finally, the confusion is resolved and the couple is reconciled happily.

(cont.)

Robinson, Richard, citizen of London. A record of auncient histories, entituled in Latin:7 Gesta Romanorum ...

The Gesta was eviden tly popular and went through numerous editions in the late C16 and early C17.

In this version of the casket story a young virgin suffers many adventures – including being swallowed by a whale – in order to attempt to marry the son of an Emperor. As in MoV suitors are tested by choosing between three caskets – of gold, silver and lead:

... Then was the Emperour right glad of hir sauety and comming, & had great compassion on hir, saying: A good Mayde for the loue of my sonne thou hast suffered much woe, neuerthelesse if thou be worthy to be his wife soone shal I proue. And when he had thus sayd, hée let bring foorth thrée vessells, the first was made of pure Gold well béesette with precious stones without and within, full of dead mens bones, and therevpon was engrauen this posey. Who so chooseth mee shall finde that he deserueth.

The second vessell was made of fyne siluer, fylled with earth and wormes, and the superscription was thus.

Who so chooseth me shall finde that his nature desireth. The third vessell was made of Lead, full within of precious stones, and therevpon was insculpt this posey. Who so chooseth mee, shall finde that God hath disposed for him.

These thrée vessells the Emperour shewed to the Mayden and layde. Loe here daughter, these bée noble vessells, if thou choose one of these wherin is profit to thée and to other the~ shalt thou haue my son. And if thou choose that wherin is

(cont.)

7 Gesta Romanorum – ‘Deeds of the Romans’.

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no profit to thée nor to none other, sothly thou shalt not wed him. When the Mayden saw this, shèe lift vp hir hands to God and sayde. Thou Lord which knowest all things, graunt mée grace this houre so to choose, that I may receiue the

Emperours sonne.

(cont.)

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When the Emperour saw this, he said, O good Mayden, open thy vessell, for it is full of precious Stones, and sée if thou hast well chosen or no. And when this yong Lady had opened it, she found it full of fine gold and precious stones, lyke as the Emperour had foretold hir béefore.

And than sayd the Emperour, O my déere daughter, because thou hast wisely chosen, therefore shalt thou wed my sonne. And when he had so said, he ordained a marriage, and wedded them together with great solempnitie, & much honour, and so continued to theyr liues ende...

What’s in a name…?

The interest contained in the list of characters in the third quarto (Q3 [1637]) of the play (see below) lies in the use of the definite article (“the”) for Shylock and Portia whereas the indefinite article (“a/an”) is used for other characters. Even important characters such as Antonio (“a”) and Bassanio (“an”) are given the indefinite article.

This suggests that the audiences would already have been familiar with the ‘Shylock’ and ‘Portia’ characters from the earlier versions of the two separate ‘pound of flesh’ and ‘caskets’ stories from the sources referenced above (i.e. Il Pecorone and the Gesta Romanorum).

(cont.)

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Further ‘proof’ of this assumption is that although audiences would have been familiar with the play – and all of its characters – since at least 1600 and the title page of Q3 confirms that it had “beene divers times acted by the Lord Chamberlaine his servants” it is only Shylock and Portia who are distinguished from the other characters with the definite article.

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