Course
The Merchant of Venice Study Guide
This course covers the plot, themes, and characters of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. The Merchant of Venice is a Shakespearean text that appears on the English Literature exams. Along with a detailed account of the plot, this course also includes an accompanying plot analysis to discuss key elements of the text in order to fully understand the exam topics. The character analysis includes sections on Shylock, Portia, Antonio and more.
Modules (9)
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Background of the The Merchant of Venice
We begin our course with some background on the plays writer, William Shakespeare and the context in which Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice was written in. This slide set helpfully sets the scene before you dive in to the detail.
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Merchant of Venice Act 1 Summary
The action begins with a meloncholy Antonio and a love struck Bassanio. Antonio's willingness to help his friend ends up with a visit to Shylock and an agreement of the payment of a pound of flesh if Antonio's loan is defaulted.
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Merchant of Venice Act 2 Summary
Our study guide continues with this study note that analyses the action in Act 2. Each scene is examined with the main events detailed, an analysis given and the main quotes from the scene in Act 2 are highlighted.
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Merchant of Venice Act 3 Summary
The events reach a climax in Act 3, as news of Antonio's investments at sea being shipwrecked led to his arrest. Learn about this and more in these study notes that tell the story scene by scene and help you understand the plot movements.
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Merchant of Venice Acts 4 and 5 Summary
The final play note featuring commentary, analysis and quotes from the Courtroom Scene and the final acts as Antonio is freed, lovers are re-united and Shylock considers his fate.
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Characters in The Merchant of Venice
Delve deeper into the characters of The Merchant of Venice with this study note which analyses traits and flaws of the main protagonists and how their behaviours change over the course of the play.
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Relationships in The Merchant of Venice
Find it difficult to remember the roles of characters in the play and how they relate to each other? This handy flow chart outlines the main players and how they are linked. Keep this close by as you review the action in the play!
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Themes in The Merchant of Venice
One of the most important aspects of studying literature is being able to identify the themes in a writers work. In this slide set, we suggested the main themes of the Merchant of Venice and how they manifest themselves in the play.
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The Merchant of Venice Quiz
Now that you've completed the course, it's time to show how much you know! Demonstrate your knowledge of events, characters and quotes of Merchant of Venice with this summary quiz to finish the course. Good luck!
| Course resource | Original resource | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Background of the The Merchant of Venice | The Merchant of Venice Background | Antonia Blankenberg |
| Merchant of Venice Act 1 Summary | Merchant of Venice Act 1 Scenes 1 to 3 Summary | Antonia Blankenberg |
| Merchant of Venice Act 2 Summary | Merchant of Venice Act 2 Scenes 1 to 9 summary | Antonia Blankenberg |
| Merchant of Venice Act 3 Summary | Merchant of Venice Act 3 Scenes 1 to 5 Summary | Antonia Blankenberg |
| Merchant of Venice Acts 4 and 5 Summary | Merchant of Venice Act 4 Scene 1 and 2 Summary, Act 5 Summary | Antonia Blankenberg |
| Characters in The Merchant of Venice | The Merchant of Venice Character Analysis | Antonia Blankenberg |
| Relationships in The Merchant of Venice | The Merchant of Venice Relationships | Antonia Blankenberg |
| Themes in The Merchant of Venice | Merchant of Venice Themes | Antonia Blankenberg |
| The Merchant of Venice Quiz | The Merchant of Venice Quiz | Antonia Blankenberg |