The Merchant of Venice is a play written by William Shakespeare. The date the play was written in unknown, but the play was mentioned in 1598 in Francis Mere's Wit's Treasury. A date of 1596-1597 is now accepted. Shakespeare's source was Il Pecorone by Ser Giovanni, a 14th-century Florentine writer.
The Merchant of Venice was first published in 1600. It was again published in 1619, and then in 1623 in the First Folio, a collection of all of Shakespeare's plays. The play has been made into television programs many times and also into some movies. Three operas are based on the play.