The Merchant of Venice -Lesson 7

Friday 15th October 2021

Learning Purposes

• To refamiliarise ourselves with the play

• To consolidate our understanding of key terms we have learned so far

• To consider how Shakespeare presents the character of Shylock through his use of language.

Recap of previous learning➢Name five adjectives that can be used to describe Shylock.➢Name five adjectives that can be used to describe Jessica.➢What is the most effective rhetorical device that we have learned so far?

Future Lessons➢We are developing our understanding of the plot, key themes and key characters➢We are developing our knowledge of how to produce good analytical writing.

QuizDraw one symbol for each of the following key terms and be prepared to share with the class –

1) Anti-Semitism

2) Ghetto

3) Melancholy

4) Iambic Pentameter

5) Aside

7) Anthropomorphism

8) Patriarchy

Recap – Shylock’s treatment

Write a short paragraph outlining Shylock’s thoughts and feelings at this point in the play from a first person perspective. You will have to go back through the play to see where we left off. You can refer to past events and how he has developed.

???

Key word

Ostracism (n), to ostracise (v), ostracised (adj)

- exclude from a society or group.

______ has been ostracised by _______.

Act 3, Scene 1 – Whole class reading

This scene involves a very powerful monologue spoken by Shylock. Use the clues to make a prediction:

• Salarino and Solanio discuss the rumours that yet another of Antonio’s ships has been wrecked.

• They are joined by Shylock, who accuses them of having helped Jessica escape. The two Venetians proudly take credit for their role in Jessica’s elopement.

• Salarino then asks Shylock whether he can confirm the rumours of Antonio’s lost vessels. Shylock replies that Antonio will soon be bankrupt and swears to collect his bond.

• Salarino doubts Shylock’s determination, wondering what the old man will do with a pound of flesh, to which Shylock chillingly replies that Antonio’s flesh will at least feed his revenge.

• In a short monologue, Shylock says Antonio has mistreated him solely because Shylock is a Jew, but now Shylock is determined to apply the lessons of hatred and revenge that Christian intolerance has taught him so well.

• Salarino and Solanio head off to meet with Antonio, just as Tubal, a friend of Shylock’s and a Jew, enters. Tubal announces that he cannot find Jessica. Shylock rants against his daughter, and he wishes her dead as he complains about his losses.

Act 3 Scene 1

• Consider the structure of Shylock’s speech.

• Does Shylock speak in prose or blank verse?

Why do you think Shakespeare chose to use prose, instead of blank verse?

The mood and social status of a character can often be shown by the rhythm of their speech. Those with a higher social status often speak in blank verse whereas servants, such as Launcelot Gobbo, speak in prose. However, prose is also used to show that higher status characters are angry or upset.

Shylock’s monologueWe are going to focus on Shylock’s monologue today.

We will watch this scene from the film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th7euZ30wDE

Read Shylock’s speech about being a Jew again.

• Highlight the following• Anything that makes us feel sympathy for Shylock

• Reasons he hates Antonio

• What his plans are and what reason he gives for them

• Any language devices you have already studied and can identify clearly

Shylock’s monologue

‘Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions . . . ? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?’

In your pairs, annotate this part of Shylock’s speech. Consider what techniques/words Shakespeare has used and what effect they have.

Extended responseHow does Shakespeare use language to present Shylock’s emotions in this speech?

• Topic sentence

• Embedded quotations

• Explanation for the quote

• Close analysis

• Link to context of the play/era (In the Elizabethan era, anti-Semitism was common, therefore….)

• Shakespeare’s intentions

• Concluding sentence

Use good analytical and subject specific vocabulary to say WHAT Shakespeare has done, HOW he’s doing it and WHY he’s done it.

Example paragraphShakespeare presents Shylock as a character who is frustrated about his ill-treatment in his monologue. Shylock uses a list to demonstrateall of the ways in which he has been treated unfairly when saying that Antonio ‘hath disgraced me, hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses…’ The fact that Shylock lists a number of ways in which he has suffered prejudice just because he ‘is a Jew’ emphasises how poorly Jewish people were treated in the Elizabeth era. The list exaggerates how angry Shylock is because there is not just one way in which he has been treated unfairly by Antonio, but countless ways (including being mocked and cheated out of money). The fact that Shylock’s whole monologue is written in prose rather than blank verse reinforces Shakespeare’s intention for Shylock to switch from prose to blank verse, which can imply a sense of strong emotion in the character. Overall, Shakespeare’s ability to use structural features to communicate Shylock’s frustration illuminates the effect that ostracism and unfair treatment can have on a character.

• Topic sentence• Embedded quotations• Analytical vocabulary • Subject specific terminology• Shakespeare’s intentions• Link to context

Plenary

Peer assess your partner’s work.

How many of the features of analytical writing have they included?

Directed Reading - Kidnapped