The "No Fear Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice" PDF guide includes:
"No Fear Shakespeare" provides a parallel text edition of The Merchant of Venice
Look at the modern version only when you hit a complete stumbling block. Identify which words were the problem. Was it "coxcomb"? (A fool). Was it "rheum"? (Phlegm or tears).
If you download the PDF or open the website, bookmark these five high-difficulty passages:
A breakdown of why the lead casket was the right choice.