Although Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" was written in around 1596, it tackles two of the most prominent themes of today: religion and money. An excellent introduction to the pitfalls of borrowing, this title takes a good look at the conventions of past societies, from the very top to the very bottom. Remember: 'All that glisters is not gold'. Ideal as visual introductions to classic texts, Graffex titles are fast-moving, cinematic retellings of well-known stories. Equally rewarding as comics, graphic novels or learning resources, the series uses specially commissioned full-colour artwork to retell some of the most incredible, influential and memorable tales in the canon of English literature. Speech bubbles feature direct quotes from the original text, running captions describe events in a clear manner and detailed footnotes translate challenging vocabulary and provide interesting background information. It's a wealth of key information that, critically, doesn't overwhelm or distract from the original story. Featuring photographs, paintings and maps, Graffex endmatters tell the story of each book in its wider geographical context. Text details the life of the author, the socio-political events which influenced the book and the impact the book had on the society of the time. Each title also features a double-page opening illustration and a full index.