Merchant of Venice (1596)

Brainstorm (individually)What comes to mind when you hear the word tragedy?

What comes to mind when you hear the word comedy?

- Write down some points!

Drakespeare

To be heard, not read.

What kind of play is The Merchant of Venice?Although the play has elements of a tragedy, it is classified as a comedy.

Shakespeare’s comedies include some of these elements:

- Mistaken identities and disguises - Character reunions and separations - Recurrent use of puns- A clever servant - An effort by young couples to beat the odds against their relationship- Interconnecting and multiple plots (usually these meet in the final act)- Tensions within a family

Shakespeare’s comedies also include these conventions...1. Main plot is often about love. The would-be lovers must overcome obstacles and

misunderstandings before being united in harmonious union (usually ends with a

celebration).

2. Frequently, it contains elements of the improbable, the fantastic, the supernatural,

or the miraculous, such as: a. Unbelievable coincidences

b. Improbable scenes of recognition/lack of recognition

c. Willful disregard of the social order

d. Instantaneous conversions

e. Enchanted or idealized settings

f. Supernatural beings (witches, fairies, Gods and Goddesses)

3. There is frequently a philosophical aspect involving weightier issues and themes: personal

identity, importance of love, power of language, appearance vs. reality, etc.

What is the play about?In his play, Shakespeare writes about the class, cultural and religious divisions in Venice, particularly people of Jewish faith.

Common questions:

● Why Venice? ● What are its themes?

○ Is the play Anti-Semitic, or does it criticize Anti-Semitism? Is it neither? ○ Is it supposed to show that humans are inherently similar, despite our religious

backgrounds? ○ Is it fair to villainize Shylock, or is he simply the victim of the society he is living in?

What is the play about?[Answers] Common questions:

● Why Venice?

○ Venice was the richest city in Europe at the time. As a town of traders, Venice was full of foreigners: Turks, Jews, Arabs, Africans, and Christians of various nationalities.

○ The city was designed to be unusually tolerant of differences during its time, with the exception of its Jewish Ghetto (they were permitted to leave the Ghetto, but had to be identified by wearing a red hat).

What is the play about?[Answers] Common questions:

● What are its themes?○ By Shakespeare’s time, the legacy of the Anti-Semitism in Western Europe was

already long and bitter. Jewish people were often depicted as villains in theater.

○ Shakespeare would not have met a Jewish person, as they were deported from England during his time (England wanted to have a culture with a common ethnic identity and belief system.

Making PredictionsBased on this film preview, what do you think will happen in the play?