English 105A: Handout (Merchant of Venice questions)

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TA: Geoff McNeil

English 105A: Early Shakespeare

Fall 2002

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[edit] Questions for Merchant of Venice:

1.) How would you contrast the Belmont and Venice plots?

2.) Why does Antonio help Bassanio?

3.) Why does Shylock hate Antonio? Does his vengeance have more to do with hating Antonio or anger at his complicity in the eloping of Jessica?

[edit] In-class writing:

1.) How does the choosing of the three chests reflect compare to the love potion in MND? In what ways is love determined by chance, in what ways is it by design?

2.) Shylock:

• fairy tale figure?
• diabolic?
• tragic?
• all of above?

3.) How does Shylock compare to other fathers in this course?

4.) Both Jessica and Shylock convert – what do we make of this?

5.) How are the women able to defeat Shylock where the men fail?

6.) How much of Shylock is defined by his Jewishness and how much by his profession?

7.) How is the trial problematic? How do mercy and law function in the play?