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The Merchant of Venice

William Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice is 21,607 words — about 1h 26m at 250 words per minute, across 20 chapters. Measure your own speed and read it free, here.

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1h 26m at 250 words per minute

21,607 words · 20 chapters · counted from the full text, not estimated from a page count. Measure your own speed and this becomes your number.

Public domain 20 chapters
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Cover of The Merchant of Venice

How it opens

ACT II Scene I. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house. Scene II. Venice. A street. Scene III. The same. A room in Shylock’s house. Scene IV. The same. A street. Scene V. The same. Before Shylock’s house. Scene VI. The same. Scene VII. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house. Scene VIII. Venice. A street. Scene IX. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house.…

Details

  • AuthorWilliam Shakespeare
  • SourceProject Gutenberg #1515
  • Length21,607 words · 1h 26m of reading
  • Chapters20
  • DictionaryNot yet generated
  • CopyrightPublic domain in the United States
  • Source checked2026-08-28

Contents

20 chapters

Recovered from the original source text, so you can open the book at any of them.

  1. 01THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
  2. 02Dramatis Personæ
  3. 03SCENE III. Venice. A public place.
  4. 04SCENE I. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house.
  5. 05SCENE II. Venice. A street.
  6. 06SCENE III. The same. A room in Shylock’s house.
  7. 07SCENE IV. The same. A street.
  8. 08SCENE V. The same. Before Shylock’s house.
  9. 09SCENE VI. The same.
  10. 10SCENE VII. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house.
  11. 11SCENE VIII. Venice. A street.
  12. 12SCENE IX. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house.
  13. 13SCENE I. Venice. A street.
  14. 14SCENE II. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house.
  15. 15SCENE III. Venice. A street.
  16. 16SCENE IV. Belmont. A room in Portia’s house.
  17. 17SCENE V. The same. A garden.
  18. 18SCENE I. Venice. A court of justice.
  19. 19SCENE II. The same. A street.
  20. 20SCENE I. Belmont. The avenue to Portia’s house.

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