FOrTS 2019-20

Study questions on William Shakespeare’s

The Merchant of Venice (1796)
One or several of these may be reformulated as exam questions. In that
case, you will be required to quote passages other than those commented
on in class, as far as possible.

1. Discuss the affective relationships in the play: friendships, marriages, other

a. Lorenzo and Jessica
b. Nerissa and Portia
c. Bassanio and Portia
d. Gratiano and Nerissa
e. other

2. Shylock’s character determines whether the play may be considered a comedy or a

“problem play.” Discuss.
a. presentation
b. Jessica
c. bond with Antonio
d. trial
i. tone
ii. peripeteia
iii. sentence

3. The play is constructed around issues of justice, the law, and commerce among others.
Discuss their mutual implications.
a. the law vs. Justice
b. love, matrimony, honesty, trust, (dis)obedience
c. property, marriage and finance

4. “Isolation is typical of Shakespearean tragedy. Tragedy tends towards emotional and

physical separation whereas comedy moves towards social inclusion” (Maguire 2004, 132).
Discuss in the case of The Merchant of Venice.

5. Analyse the relevance of the Venetian setting

a. vs. Belmont
b. commercial society, mercantile expansion
c. for Elizabethan England

Works Cited: Maguire, Laurie E. 2004. Studying Shakespeare. A Guide to the Plays. Oxford: Blackwell.