What inspired William shakespeare to write The Merchant of Venice?

Answer 1

A play by Christopher Marlowe called, 'The Jew of Malta' is thought to be have inspired Shakespeare, as it made a revival before he wrote the play. It involves an evil Jew who is punished by being boiled in a cauldron, and was full of anti-semitism, much like the Merchant of Venice.

Answer 2

merchant of Venice is a Shakespeare play that takes place, obviously, in Venice.

Answer 3

A book called Il Pecorone by Giovanni Fiorentino which was written about 200 years before Shakespeare wrote his play.

Answer 4

In writing The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare's main source was an Italian collection called The Simpleton. It was written by Giovanni Florentino in 1378 and published in 1565.

Answer 5

William Shakespeare gor the idea of The Merchant of Venice from his brain

Answer 6

Probably from a book called Il Pecorino, which has a number of the same plot elements. The "pound of flesh" penalty was found in many folktales.

Answer 7

The Merchant of Venice is not a poem, it is a play. See the related question.

Answer 8

Shakespeare's motive for writing any play was the same: money. Writing plays was his job.