Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice is here in full — 367 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Shakespeare • Curated US English Learning Edition

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Arranged for Representation at the Princess's Theatre, With Historical and Explanatory Notes by Charles Kean, F.S.A., As First Performed on Saturday, June 12th, 1858 DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

AS FIRST PERFORMED, SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1858.

DUKE OF VENICE, ...........................

Mr. H. MELLON.

PRINCE OF MOROCCO, } {Mr. ROLLESTON.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/73

Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice is here in full — 367 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/73 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Arranged for Representation at the Princess's Theatre, With Historical and Explanatory Notes by Charles Kean, F.S.A., As First Performed on Saturday, June 12th, 1858 DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

Line 2

AS FIRST PERFORMED, SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1858.

Line 3

DUKE OF VENICE, ...........................

/duːk ʌv ˈvenəs/

Line 4

Mr. H. MELLON.

/ˈmɪstər eɪtʃ ˈmelən/

Line 5

PRINCE OF MOROCCO, } {Mr. ROLLESTON.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

Explanatory adjective US /ɪkˈsplænətɔːri/

serving or intended to explain or make clear

From this reading “Arranged for Representation at the Princess's Theatre, With Historical and Explanatory Notes by Charles Kean, F.S.A., As First Performed on Saturday, June 12th, 1858 DRAMATIS PERSONAE.”

Historical adjective US /hɪˈstɔːrɪkəl/

of or relating to the study of history

Kean noun US /kiːn/

English actor noted for his portrayals of Shakespeare's great tragic characters (1789-1833)

mellon noun US /ˈmelən/

United States financier and philanthropist (1855-1937)

From this reading “Mr. H. MELLON.”

morocco noun US /mərˈɑːkoʊ/

a kingdom (constitutional monarchy) in northwestern Africa with a largely Muslim population; achieved independence from France in 1956

From this reading “PRINCE OF MOROCCO, } {Mr. ROLLESTON.”

personae noun US /pərˈsoʊneɪ/

plural of “persona” — an actor's portrayal of someone in a play

Princess's noun US /ˈprɪnsesɪz/

possessive form of “princess” — a female member of a royal family other than the queen (especially the daughter of a sovereign)

Representation noun US /ˌreprəzenˈteɪʃən/

a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image

All words in this reading · 38

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AS FIRST PERFORMED, SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1858.

12th

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Arranged for Representation at the Princess's Theatre, With Historical and Explanatory Notes by Charles Kean, F.S.A., As First Performed on Saturday, June 12th, 1858 DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

1858

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

ArrangedadjectiveUS /ərˈeɪndʒd/

disposed or placed in a particular kind of order

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

CharlesnounUS /tʃɑːrlz/

King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)

DRAMATIS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

DUKEnounUS /duːk/

a British peer of the highest rank

From this reading DUKE OF VENICE, ...........................

ExplanatoryadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsplænətɔːri/

serving or intended to explain or make clear

FnounUS /ef/

a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature

FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

HnounUS /eɪtʃ/

a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe

From this reading Mr. H. MELLON.

HistoricaladjectiveUS /hɪˈstɔːrɪkəl/

of or relating to the study of history

JunenounUS /dʒuːn/

the month following May and preceding July

KeannounUS /kiːn/

English actor noted for his portrayals of Shakespeare's great tragic characters (1789-1833)

MELLONnounUS /ˈmelən/

United States financier and philanthropist (1855-1937)

From this reading Mr. H. MELLON.

MOROCCOnounUS /mərˈɑːkoʊ/

a kingdom (constitutional monarchy) in northwestern Africa with a largely Muslim population; achieved independence from France in 1956

From this reading PRINCE OF MOROCCO, } {Mr. ROLLESTON.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Mr. H. MELLON.

NotesnounUS /noʊts/

plural of “note” — a brief written record

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading DUKE OF VENICE, ...........................

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

PerformedverbUS /pərˈfɔːrmd/

past form of “perform” — carry out or perform an action

PERSONAEnounUS /pərˈsoʊneɪ/

plural of “persona” — an actor's portrayal of someone in a play

PRINCEnounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading PRINCE OF MOROCCO, } {Mr. ROLLESTON.

Princess'snounUS /ˈprɪnsesɪz/

possessive form of “princess” — a female member of a royal family other than the queen (especially the daughter of a sovereign)

RepresentationnounUS /ˌreprəzenˈteɪʃən/

a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image

ROLLESTON

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading PRINCE OF MOROCCO, } {Mr. ROLLESTON.

SnounUS /es/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

SaturdaynounUS /ˈsætərdi/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

TheatrenounUS /ˈθiːətər/

a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

VENICEnounUS /ˈvenəs/

the provincial capital of Veneto; built on 118 islands within a lagoon in the Gulf of Venice; has canals instead of streets; one of Italy's major ports and a famous tourist attraction

From this reading DUKE OF VENICE, ...........................

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

Chapter 1 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare holds 367 sentences, grouped into 74 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 1 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice contain?

Chapter 1 holds 367 sentences of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice, unabridged, divided into 74 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 367 sentences, grouped into 74 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 1 of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice?

Work through the 74 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 74 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice

Common questions about reading Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice?

Yes. All 1814 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12578 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12578, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice take to read?

About 151 minutes of reading across 363 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice section by section

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Vocabulary met early in Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice

Words and structures a reader meets early in Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Arranged: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Representation: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Princess's: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Theatre: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter I · Chapter 1

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Vocabulary met early in Shakespeare's play of the Merchant of Venice