Logo

Synopsis Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice has enjoyed an unflagging popularity for the last four centuries. The play has had a fascinating stage history. In the wake of Nazi holocaust, it aroused a great controversy about its supposed contribution towards fostering anti-Jewsih prejudices in the popular psyche by projecting the image of a Jew that made him look totally demoniac and dehumanized. The focus of the present study is Arnold Wesker's The Merchant which is an adaptation of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Wesker has written his play on the basis of meticulous compilation of historical material to answer Shakespeare's distortion of Jewish image. His adaptation of Shakespeare's play is qualitatively different from other innumerable adaptations of Shakespeare's Plays, for it has been written with a socio-historical perspective. The present study is unique as it not only throws light on the dramatic art of Shakespeare and Wesker but also enhances our awareness of racial literature that targets/defends marginalized sections of society.