Ngee Ann Secondary

Secondary 2 Express English Literature

The Merchant of Venice: Lesson 1 Reflection
Name: ________________________ ( ) Date:
__________________
Class: _________

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that

follow. You may refer to your textbook for help.

Page 173, Lines 72-73

Solanio … A third
cannot be matched, unless the devil himself turn Jew.

1) What does this line show about Solanio’s attitude towards Shylock?
What could be his reason for treating Shylock so?

Page 173 - 175

SHYLOCK Why, there, there, there, there! A diamond gone,
cost me two thousand ducats in Frankfort - The curse
never fell upon our nation till now; I never felt it
till now - two thousand ducats in that; and other
precious, precious jewels. I would my daughter
were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear!
Would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats
in
her coffin! No news of them? Why, so! And I know
not what's spent in the search. Why, thou loss upon
loss - the thief gone with so much, and so much to
find the thief - and no satisfaction, no revenge,
nor no ill luck stirring but what lights o’ my
shoulders, no sighs but o’ my breathing, no tears
but of my shedding.
2) What does this extract reveal about Shylock’s feelings?

3) What does Shylock seem to value more- his daughter or his wealth?
Quote and explain the phrases that tell you so.

4) Read Shylock’s “To bait fish withal” speech on page 171 – 173 out
loud several times. Find out how to pronounce unfamiliar words.
Practise until you are fluent. You shall be ask to do a recording some
time soon ;)
a) What do you think is/are the feeling(s) that should be conveyed in
your reading of the text? (What tone will you use to read the text?)

b) What is the message Shylock is trying to convey in this speech?