William Shakespeare,
The Merchant of Venice
Lesson plans and other teaching ideas
| For introductory, background and other resources, try Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Age . For links to other plays, try the Shakespeare Main Page. |
60-Second Shakespeare
On this page, a tabloid-style summary of the play from the BBC. Follow links to learn how your students can produce something similar.
Anti-Semitism and
The Merchant of Venice
This 23-page guide includes tips for teaching controversial texts, background information and activities, analysis and interpretation of Shylock, a glossary of terms, and nonfiction/informational text on the history of antisemitism. Access requires Adobe Reader.
English Class in Performance
If you want your students to get up and perform Shakespeare, here are some abridged scripts:
The Merchant of Venice
,
A Midsummer Night's Dream
,
Macbeth
,
Romeo and Juliet
, and
The Tempest
.
Merchant of Venice
Scroll down for writing and discussion questions.
The Merchant of Venice
Plot summary, themes, a discussion of anti-Semitism in Elizabethan England, more.
The Merchant of Venice
Reading strategies, including an anticipation guide and a KWHL chart.
Portia in
The Merchant of Venice
This character analysis is critical of Portia.
A Teacher's Guide for
The Merchant of Venice
and
Othello
These lesson plans and classroom activities are provided by PBS as part of the ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre series.
William Shakespeare's
The Merchant of Venice
This site supports the 2004 Michael Radford film starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons. Follow the links to the study guide, which requires Adobe Reader for access.