The Merchant of Venice tells of a Venetian merchant called Antonio who defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender. The man, Shylock, then takes the opportunity to hit back at the racism and general discrimination that he has encountered by demanding a pound of flesh from Antonio.

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's demand for its apparently brutal demand for retribution, as well as its "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech on humanity. As a result a debate exists on whether the play is anti-Semitic. Also notable is Portia's speech about "the quality of mercy".

This edition is based on the First Folio and includes an extensive introduction that examines the origins of the work, the plot and the characters as well as notes on the text, a glossary and a timeline of Shakespeare's life and work.