William Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice
The full script in Final Draft, Word & PDF
A merchant's loan from the moneylender Shylock, secured against a pound of flesh, collides with a lottery of caskets and a courtroom disguise.
PDFs Only
$4.99
- ✓ Stageplay PDF (86 pp.)
- ✓ Screenplay PDF (83 pp.)
- ✓ Instant download
Full Package
$12.99
- ✓ Final Draft (.fdx)
- ✓ Microsoft Word + RTF
- ✓ Screenplay + Stageplay PDFs
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All 37 plays in every format cost $99, less than 8 single Full Packages. PDFs only: $55 for all 37.
- Genre
- Comedy
- Written
- c. 1596–1597
- Setting
- Venice and Belmont
- Scenes
- 20
- Speaking roles
- 23
- Uncut running time
- ~2h 35m
What happens in The Merchant of Venice
Bassanio wants to court the rich heiress Portia of Belmont but needs money. His friend Antonio, a Venetian merchant, borrows 3,000 ducats from the moneylender Shylock on a bond that allows Shylock to claim a pound of Antonio's flesh if he defaults. In Belmont, suitors face a test of three caskets set by Portia's late father, and Bassanio chooses correctly.
When Antonio's ships are reported lost and Shylock's daughter Jessica elopes with a Christian and some of his money, Shylock demands his bond. Portia, disguised as a young lawyer, goes to Venice to argue the case in court. The trial is followed by a return to Belmont and a final scene about rings.
See the formatting
The first page of Act I, exactly as it appears in the files you download.
The biggest roles
Share of the play's spoken words, counted from the script. 23 characters speak; 8 of them have under 1% of the text — natural candidates for doubling.
| Role | Share of the text | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| Portia | | 122 |
| Shylock | | 81 |
| Bassanio | | 76 |
| Launcelot | | 45 |
| Antonio | | 48 |
| Gratiano | | 48 |
| Lorenzo | | 52 |
| Salarino | | 27 |
For directors
Portia has the largest share of the text at 21.9%, ahead of Shylock (13.8%), Bassanio (12.4%), Launcelot (7.0%), Antonio (6.8%) and Gratiano (6.6%), which makes casting Portia as important as casting Shylock. Twenty-three speaking roles over 20 scenes, with only 8 under 1%, means less doubling potential than in many plays. Uncut it runs about 2 hours 35 minutes. Plan time for the courtroom.
Cutting notes
- The scenes with the Princes of Morocco and Aragon are frequently shortened, since the third casket scene carries the plot.
- Launcelot Gobbo's comic scenes, especially with his blind father in 2.2, are often trimmed.
- How to present Shylock's forced conversion in 4.1 and the long fifth act is a director's decision, and some companies shorten the final act.
For teachers
Typical study topics include justice and mercy, the treatment of Shylock and antisemitism, money and love, and the use of disguise. Students often examine Shylock's speech beginning 'Hath not a Jew eyes' in 3.1, the casket scenes, the trial in 4.1 with Portia's speech on mercy, and the ring plot. The play is generally taught alongside discussion of how modern productions handle its prejudices.
Questions
Is this the complete, uncut text of The Merchant of Venice?
Yes. Every file contains the full play — 20 scenes and about 21,000 spoken words. Cut it yourself in Word or Final Draft to fit your running time.
What is the difference between the stageplay and screenplay layouts?
The stageplay layout indents stage directions and sets dialogue full-width, like a theatre script. The screenplay layout follows film conventions: scene headings and action flush left, character names centred, dialogue in a narrower column. Both tiers include both layouts as PDFs; the Full Package adds editable Final Draft and Word files of each.
Can I use this The Merchant of Venice script for a production or a class?
Yes. Shakespeare's plays are in the public domain, so there are no royalties to pay for staging them. Edit, stage, film or teach with these files.
How do I receive the files?
Right after checkout you land on a private download page, and the link is also emailed to you. It keeps working, so you can re-download any time.
