The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice The Merchant of Venice is a 16th-century play written by William Shakespeare in which a merchant in Venice (Antonio) must default on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. It is believed to have been written between 1596 and 1599. Though 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 the famous "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech on humanity. Also notable is Portia's speech about "the quality of
The Shakespeare Code screaming youth and apparently rip him to shreds. Meanwhile, the TARDIS lands around Southwark in 1599. The Doctor, who promised to take Martha on one trip, takes her to a performance of "Love's Labour's Lost" at the Globe Theatre. At the end of the play, William Shakespeare announces a forthcoming sequel entitled "Love's Labour's Won". Lilith uses a voodoo doll to influence Shakespeare to declare that the new play will premiere the following evening. The Doctor and Martha go to the inn where Shakespeare is staying. The Doctor introduces himself with his psychic paper but it appears blank to Shakespeare,