Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

1. Merchant of Veniceby William Shakespeare Notes for your perusal…

2. The Merchant of Venice is called a ‘tragi-comedy’ because it blends elements of both tragedy and comedy • Aristotle (Greek philosopher, 4th C, BC) set down definitions of tragedy and comedy. • Tragedy – describes a story whose tragic ‘hero’ falls from a high position or place of power to a low position; his or her demise may mean death. Tragic heroes usually have some kind of flaw that is their undoing. Tragedies typically deal with the lives of important people who fail to achieve their intended goal. • Comedy – describes a story of love, relationships, misunderstandings, concealed identities, deceit and trickery; they deal with the lives of average people, and show a happy ending (often a wedding scene) where the protagonist achieves his/her intended goal.

3. Shakespeare has his characters speaking either prose or blank verseWhat does this mean? • Prose is ordinary speech, with no rhyme and no beat/meter • Shakespeare’s characters speak in prose in situations of informal, private or intimateconversation (between close friends or lovers) or if they are of lower status or education • Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line, 5 beats) • Characters speak in blank verse to show higher status/power, when they are in public or in formal conversations • Scenes often end with a heroic couplet, that is a pair of rhymed lines of iambic pentameter.