The Merchant of Venice Critical Evaluation Task In The Merchant of Venice the character of Shylock is vital in highlighting the

e theme of prejudice. E plain Shylock!s involvement in the play and go on to e amine "hether Shakespeare portrays him as a victim or a villain. #e have looked closely at The Merchant of Venice focusing on the character of Shylock and our attitudes to"ards him throughout the play. 1. Introduction $ou must relate your introduction directly to the %uestion. It needs to &e clear at the start of your essay "hat you are "riting a&out. '. State that Shylock is a crucial character in The Merchant of Venice. (. )riefly e plain the conflict in the play "hich highlights prejudice. *. E plain that Shakespeare has helped you to understand Shylock!s character through successful use of an effective plot+ "ord choice+ key scenes, Try to use your o"n "ords for an original introduction. May&e you could also use a simple %uote to gra& the reader!s attention-

2. rief !ummary "lot involvin# !hylock. Briefly summarise the key events of The Merchant of Venice focusing on the involvement of Shylock.

$. Main %ody of your essay &nalysis ' Evaluation ( or ) *ara#ra*hs $ou no" need to discuss the play in more detail+ identifyin# the most important scenes and e+*lainin# ho" they hel* you to understand the character of Shylock. In each paragraph you need to demonstrate the follo"ing.
/ 0 /1I2T 0 Make a clear point 0 3o" do you feel to"ards Shylock at this point in the play. E 0 EVI4E25E 0 6ive an e ample 7891TE: from the te t to sho" that your point is true. E 0 E;/<=I2 0 E plain "hat this %uote means and #3$ it is important. < 0 <I2> 0 6ive your personal reaction to ho" you feel a&out Shylock 0 Is he a VI5TIM or a VI<<=I2-

,emem%er to start each *ara#ra*h -ith a to*ic sentence to let the reader kno- -hat you are a%out to -rite a%out. E.#. !hylock a#reein# to the %ond.
Topic Sentence: (P)When we first encounter Shylock in the play we find out that he has been treated badly by the Christians in the past.(E) Shylock states ntonio has called Shylock a !cut"throat do#$ and has spat !upon %y &ewish #abardine$ (E) This hi#hli#hts that Shylock %ay ha'e (ustification for feelin# an#er towards Christians such as ntonio as they ha'e treated hi% as a lower class citi)en. (*) t this sta#e in the play the reader can feel so%e sy%pathy towards Shylock because+

=nother e ample /EE< paragraph to help you.

/ ? #hen "e first meet Shylock in the play "e feel sympathy to"ards him as he has &een a victim of prejudice from the 5hristians. E0 #e are told he has &een a&used &y them "hen he tells =ntonio $ou+ that did void your rheum upon my &eard and foot me as you spurn a stranger. E ? This evidence sho"s that Shylock has &een treated very &adly &y the 5hristians including =ntonio as he has &een physically attacked and spat on just &ecause he is @e"ish. < ? =t this point in the play I really feel sorry for Shylock as Shakespeare sho" that @e"s could face terri&le prejudice and &ullying just &ecause of their religion. This helps me understand "hy he "ants to get revenge against =ntonio later in the play.

There are many more e amples and you should try to generate your o"n ideas to make your essay a success. <ook at your planning points to "rite A or B /EE< paragraphs. (. C./C01!I./
The purpose of the conclusion is to summarise your reaction to the task. '. E;/<=I2 that you have looked closely at the play and have made a decision that Shylock is a victim or a villain. (. 3ighlight the scene or event "hich you thought "as M1ST IM/1CT=2T in deciding your opinion. *. 6ive your personal reaction to the character of Shylock in the play. 5an you relate his &ehaviour to life today #hat did you think of the treatment of the @e"s in Venice at this time-