The Merchant of Venice - Shakespeare's Dramatic Devices!

This engaging and informative lesson enables students to make clear and precise interpretations regarding Shakespeare’s use of dramatic devices in The Merchant of Venice. In particular, students read and understand several extracts from the play, before identifying and then analysing the effect of the dramatic devices that Shakespeare employs throughout.

The lesson follows a step-by-step learning journey, in which children learn through:
Defining and exemplifying a variety of dramatic techniques;
Reading and comprehending a number of key events from the play, identifying the dramatic devices utilised;
Analysing Shakespeare’s use of dramatic devices through considering context and the effect on the audience;
Creating their own dramatic device-filled playscripts, and evaluating their partner’s attempts;
Self assessing their learning through the lesson;

Included is:
Whole lesson PowerPoint - colourful and comprehensive;
Dramatic devices cards for the card-sorting activity;
Analysis worksheets - different degrees of difficulty (asides, dramatic irony, dramatic tension & soliloquy);
A model example of a completed analysis worksheet;
Comprehensive lesson plan.

Resources are provided in PDF (to maintain formatting), Word (so that they are easily editable) and also in zipfiles.

The lesson contains opportunities for group learning, speaking and listening, peer assessment, and whole class discussion. I originally used these resources with year 10 and 11 classes, however colleagues have used them for between year 9 and year 13 with some adaptations.

All images are licensed for commercial use, and image rights are listed on the last page of the presentation.