The Merchant of Venice

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright of the 16th and 17 centuries, now widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the word's pre-eminent dramatist. Stanley Wells, the Series Editor of the Penguin Shakespeare, is Emeritus Professor of the University of Birmingham and Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Peter Holland is McMeel Family Professor in Shakespeare Studies in the Department of Film, Television and Theatre, at the University of Notre Dame. He is editor of Shakespeare Survey, general editor of the series Redefining British Theatre History, and co-general editor of Oxford Shakespeare Topics.