Essay Titles “The Merchant of Venice” 6d 13-05-14
1 Discuss "loyalty" and "prejudice" in MoV. Substantiate your claims with precise reference to the text.
2 Portia: Do you confess the bond? (The Merchant Of Venice Act 4, scene 1, 180–187)
Antonio: I do.
Portia: Then must the Jew be merciful.
Shylock: On what compulsion must I? tell me that.
Portia: The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
Discuss "mercy" in MoV, with more evidence from the text.
3 With reference to the text, explain how this play is built up, what its structure is (in form and content) and why it makes sence the way it is construed.
4 Twists and turns in the perception of "good" and "bad" (and "just" or "unjust") as the play unfolds: explain, with reference to the text.
5 Motifs (Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.) in MoV: the law, cross-dressing, "theatre"
6 Symbols in MoV: pound of flesh, ring, the three caskets
7 In what way is "justice" as it is handled in MoV no different from the way it is still handled today. Show the various (inter-)
dependencies in the play (adduce evidence from the text) and find modern equivalents for them in today's world.
8 "Shakespeare's intentions in Merchant were not primarily anti-Semitic. Indeed, the dominant thematic complex in The Merchant of Venice is much more universal than any specific religious or racial hatred (...)".(Source: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090614071357AAHD9Z0)
Explain in what way this is the case, if you agree. Or else argue to the contrary. In either case, include evidence from the text.