The Merchant of Venice, in Modern English
The full play, original text on one side, plain modern English on the other — every scene, free.
- Year
- 1595
- Genre
- Comedy
- Setting
- Venice and Belmont
- Acts & scenes
- 5 acts · 20 scenes
- Reading time
- ~2 hours
- Audio runtime
- ~2h 15m (in app)
What it's about
A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock, who demands that an antisemitic Christian offer a pound of flesh as collateral against a loan.
A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock, who demands that an antisemitic Christian offer a pound of flesh as collateral against a loan.
Study guide
Everything we have for The Merchant of Venice, all on one page.
Read
The full play, scene by scene, original beside modern English.
Characters
Who's who — and what each one wants.
Themes
What the play is about, beneath the plot.
Motifs & Symbols
Patterns Shakespeare keeps returning to.
Famous Quotes
The lines you know, paraphrased and explained.
Scene Summaries
What happens in each scene, and why it matters.
Quiz
Fifteen questions. No login.
About this Play
Year, setting, length, why people read it.
Read by scene
Tap any scene below to start reading.
Act I
- Scene 1. Venice. A street
- Scene 2. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house
- Scene 3. Venice. A public place
Act II
- Scene 1. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house
- Scene 2. Venice. A street
- Scene 3. The same. A room in Shylock’s house
- Scene 4. The same. A street
- Scene 5. The same. Before Shylock’s house
- Scene 6. The same
- Scene 7. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house
- Scene 8. Venice. A street
- Scene 9. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house
Act III
Hear every line of The Merchant of Venice, narrated.
Common questions
Is the modern English translation accurate?
Yes — every line is matched to its original. Our translations preserve meaning over cleverness: where Shakespeare uses a metaphor, we keep it; where the wordplay turns on a sound that no longer exists, we explain rather than fake it. This is a translation, not a summary.
How long does The Merchant of Venice take to read?
About 2 hours at a steady pace. With synced narration in the app, the runtime is roughly 2h 15m — and you can pause anywhere without losing your place.
Is the original text complete and unabridged?
Yes. We use the full public-domain First Folio text, with no cuts. The simplified column runs in parallel — every line of original Shakespeare has its modern English match.
Where can I listen to it?
Synced read-along narration is in the Fluid Shakespeare app on iOS and Android. Tap a line; press play; the words highlight as they're read. Get the app →