The Merchant of Venice likely had its first performance in 1598, around the time it was entered into the Stationer's Register. The play was published in the First Quarto in 1600, and its first recorded performance was for King James' court in 1605.
Like many of his other plays, Shakespeare used plot elements and devices found in other works--for The Merchant of Venice, his primary source material was medieval Italian works such as Gesta Romanorum (a collection of tales) and Giovanni Fiorentino's Il Pecorone. The play is classified as a comedy--especially as it ends with the union of Portia
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The Merchant of Venice guide sections
