More Greek than Jonson thought? Euripides' Medea in The Merchant of Venice

Abstract

While Shakespeare clearly borrows from Ovid in The Merchant of Venice, substantial correspondences between Shakespeare's play and Euripides' Medea suggest that this Greek text may have been an equally important source for Shakespeare's Jason/Medea plotlines and invite us to reconsider the foundational assumption that Shakespeare was wholly unfamiliar with Greek drama. Several Latin and French translations of the Attic play circulated during the late sixteenth century, and structural, thematic, and topical parallels between the two dramas provide compelling evidence for a Euripidean influence on Shakespeare's work. Recognizing a Euripidean strain within the play would help to resolve many of the most pressing questions about The Merchant of Venice by providing classical evidence in support of modern readings and performances that highlight Shakespeare's sympathy for the plight of religious, sexual, and racial others.