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The Merchant of Venice;. A delightful introduction for Mr Sharpe’s Sparkle’d Cherubs. GO SHAKEY BABY! GO!!!. Wrote “The Merchant of Venice” around 1596 but still relevant today… … boys still fall in love with girls, girls still fall in love with boys, … …people get into trouble over debt…
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The Merchant of Venice; A delightful introduction for Mr Sharpe’s Sparkle’d Cherubs
GO SHAKEY BABY! GO!!! • Wrote “The Merchant of Venice” around 1596 but still relevant today… • … boys still fall in love with girls, girls still fall in love with boys, … • …people get into trouble over debt… • … fathers can still be very controlling of daughters… • …religious intolerance still haunts us… • … wives still worry about the fidelity of their husbands … • …women usually still save the day!
Language and Style • Stage Directions – not read aloud, tell you what an audience would see, movement, setting, emotion – watch for characters being left on their own… • Use of “aside” – character will make brief remarks to the audience that seem unimportant – no other characters hear these but they make us feel privileged! This shapes and moulds our views – we know more than others on the stage! (DRAMATIC IRONY)
Use of “soliloquy” – characters are left dramatically on the stage on their own and launch into lengthy speeches that give lots of info rapidly to the audience • Use of “monologue” – a character delivers a lengthy speech to another, the purpose being to pour out emotion
Pronunciation and Rhythm • Apostrophes used for missing letters reduce the number of beats in a word – “looked” (look + ed) 2 beats, “look’d” (looked) 1 beat • Shakey was keen to prove how clever he was by writing largely in something called IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Each line of iambic pentameter has 10 syllables with 5 stressed and 5 unstressed beats • In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.
The Characters • Bassanio • A young Venetian • Wants to marry Portia • Best friends with Antonio • Borrows money from Antonio to “woo” Portia
The Characters • Antonio • A middle aged bachelor • A “wheeler dealer” merchant and all-round nice guy • Best friends with Bassanio • Borrows money from Shylock to lend to Bassanio
The Characters • Portia • A rich young heiress • Bound by her father • A thoroughly modern woman • Beautiful • Funny • Strong • Independent • Clever
The Characters • Shylock • A Usurer: money-lender • Jewish • Hated by Antonio