Französische und englische Schullektüre MERCHANT OF VENICE BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE EDITED WITH NOTES AND GLOSSARY BY ALFRED MOHRBUTTER, PH. D. KIEL UND LEIPZIG PREFACE. HERE is no doubt that among the standard TH TwoRke is at must be read in the upper forms that of our schools are the plays of Shakespeare, and that among his comedies "The Merchant of Venice" is the one which most suits the taste and understanding of our pupils. It is my opinion, and, I think, it will meet with popular approval, that while reading Shakespeare with our boys and girls, our highest aim and purpose should be to teach them to admire the greatness of this English genius, to cultivate their minds and feelings by introducing them into his skill and cleverness to represent real human beings with all their passions, virtues and vices, and into his wonderful art of dramatising human affairs and conflicts, whether it be in a tragical or in a comical way. Therefore, to enjoy the beauty and the depth of thought in Shakespeare's plays, they must needs read them intensely of course, but not dwell too long on the details, for then the readers would not be able to follow the course of the action and to gain a sufficient idea of the characters and their doings. Consequently it would be of no use to let them read the text in the original deviating so very much from the modern manner of writing the words (for instance denie= deny, civillitie = civility, sute suit etc.), or to make them acquainted with the spelling of the words in the various editions, or to annoy them with tiring examinations on the sources of the play or the time when it was written. It may be sufficient to give = |