“Merchant of Venice” Essay Plan Character.

From a play you have read, choose a character that inspires a variety of emotions in you. Briefly describe the situation the character finds himself in and go on to describe how the writer makes you feel as you do.

From a play you have read, choose a character that inspires a variety of emotions in you. Briefly describe the situation the character finds himself in and go on to describe how the writer makes you feel as you do.

Plan Introduction Brief description of situation Shylock finds himself in. How Shakespeare describes the first meeting between Shylock and Antonio. How Shakespeare shows us the relationship between Shylock and Jessica. Act Three, Scene One. The trial scene. Conclusion.

Introduction Remember: Opening sentence giving name of playwright and text. Should also refer to the question. Show the examiner that you understand the main theme. In your final sentence tell the examiner what you are going to be writing about.

Model Introduction The character of Shylock in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”, inspires a variety of different of emotions in me. The play is about prejudice and shows us the dreadful effects that this can have on people of all creeds. Shylock is a Jewish money lender and is a victim of the Anti Semitism of the Christian community in Venice, in particular Antonio, to whom he lends money. Shylock has his own deeply held prejudice against the Christians community. At times I feel deep sympathy for Shylock as he is so clearly mistreated simply because of his faith. However, at other points in the play, Shakespeare cause me to question my attitude towards Shylock as a result of Shylock’s own behaviour and attitudes.

Main Section of an Essay PEAR Topic sentence with a linking word referring to words of the question and saying what you will be writing about in this paragraph. Give an example to back up your point. If the example is a quotation, make sure you explain who said it, to whom, when and why. Quotation or paraphrase Explain what the quotation shows us about Shylock, other characters or the theme. Explain how the quotation answers the question. How does it make you feel about Shylock, his own behaviour or the behaviour of others towards him. Respond to the question. You can give 2 or 3 examples in a section.

Model Section. Firstly, at the beginning of the play , Shakespeare makes me feel sympathetic towards Shylock. As he is Jewish, Shylock is treated very badly by Christians such as Antonio and Bassanio. This can be seen in Act One Scene Three when Antonio asks Shylock if he can borrow money and Shylock replies: “Fair sir, you spit on me Wednesday last; You spurned me such a day; another time You call’d me dog; and for these courtesies I’ll lend you this much money. This shows how Shylock has been treated in the past by Antonio, simply because Shylock is Jewish. Shylock has been spat at and he has been called “dog”. I feel sorry for Shylock at this point and can understand why he dislikes Antonio so much. When Shylock complains about the way Antonio has treated him, Antonio does not apologise but instead replies: “I am as like to call thee so again, To spit on thee again, to spurn thee too.” Antonio tells Shylock that he will continue to treat Shylock badly, even if Shylock lends him the money. This shows how prejudiced Antonio is against Shylock and I feel very sympathetic towards Shylock and I can understand why he “hates” Antonio. Shakespeare has succeeded in making me feel sympathy for Shylock at the beginning of the play.  

Topic Sentence for Para 2 “However, although Shylock is a victim of prejudice and this makes me sympathetic towards him, he is also capable of prejudice himself. Shakespeare makes this clear when…

Conclusion Topic sentence, giving an opinion, referring to playwright, text and question. Summary of the main points you have made. What this play has taught you about the characters and the theme of prejudice.

Model Conclusion Shakespeare’s has very successfully characterised Shylock is such a way that I feel a variety of different emotions towards him. At times, Shakespeare has made me feel very sympathetic at the treatment Shylock receives at the hands of the Christians. However, Shylock’s own prejudice and the extent he is willing to go to feed his revenge is also very shocking. In “The Merchant of Venice” Shakespeare teaches us that prejudice can only ever be a destructive force. Shylock is a victim of prejudice in more than one way; he suffers the aggression of others but he also allows his own prejudice and the prejudice he suffers to drive him to seek revenge in a way that ultimately destroys him.