1. William Shakespeare and The Merchant of Venice

2. New Historicism & Cultural Materialism

3. New Historicism Shakespeare a product of his culture Understand the plays in the time and context in which they were written

5. New Historicism Literature is inseparable from history and other political writings

6. Cultural Materialism Use Shakespeare’s plays to change the current political situation

7. Cultural Materialism How Shakespeare’s plays signify depends on the cultural field in which they are situated

8. Cultural Materialism Rejects “mystification”: The cultural passed off as natural and hence unalterable

9. Cultural Materialism Change is possible