- Meter
- Style
Outline for the Study of The Merchant of Venice
I. Preparation
This will probably be one of the first plays that the class will attempt. Hence there will be little or nothing to say about the drama, Shakespeare, or the development of his art. A short account of the theater in Shakespeare's day may be made interesting. Pictures of Venice, with an account of its wealth and magnificence in the sixteenth century; some facts about the condition of the Jew in England in Shakespeare's time; and a statement of the strange ideas concerning interest may prevent difficulties in the first reading.
II. First Reading
A good plan is to assign an act for a lesson; to use as much of the hour as necessary to test the class on what they have read; to have some passages read aloud; and to discuss the purpose of the act and its relation to the rest of the play.
III. Second Reading
This should be slow enough to give time for study and explanation of the difficulties of language, and for the study of important passages as they throw light on plot and character.