A fully-resourced one hour lesson to introduce students to the character of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice in the context of the history of anti-Semitism. Students will read the scene and consider how Antonio and Shylock treat each other as well as considering how Shakespeare presents Shylock. Students will be scaffolded to independently find quotes from act 1 scene 3 and explain what this shows us about the characters.
Learning Objective: Explore Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock.
Learning Outcomes:
- Students will understand a basic history of anti-Semitism.
- Students will understand the events of act 1 scene 3 and consider how Shylock is introduced.
- Students will work in pairs to independently find and analyse quotes to show what they learn about Shylock.
Lesson Outline:
Do it now: Think – Pair – Share: What do we learn about Shylock from his opening quote?
Activity 1: The history of anti-Semitism teacher explanation and student discussion of anti-Semitic propaganda. Group and class discussion of propaganda posters. You may want to edit this down if you feel it would be distressing to members of your class.
Activity 2: Read act 1 scene 3.
Activity 3: In pairs, students complete worksheet by finding quotes and considering what this tells us about the characters.
Plenary: Who do you have more sympathy for: Antonio or Shylock? Class discussion
More Resources for The Merchant of Venice
Freebies:
- For character revision posters for your classroom, click here.
- For an English/Drama lesson based on Portia’s choice in Act 1 Scene 2, click here.
- For a Scheme of Work overview for the unit, click here.
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