School level

The Merchant of Venice

Within the Scoilnet Merchant of Venice collection, you will find resources for reading, listening and engaging students with the prescribed Junior Cycle English studied Shakespearean drama. Teachers may benefit from reading the Signet Classic's teacher guide to the Merchant of Venice. The guide contains pre-reading activities and teacher suggestions to guide students during their reading.


Engage with the Script

 

Folger Digital Texts provides a digital text for the Merchant of Venice licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial license. Students can use the digital text when reading the drama in class or at home.

Online Stage performs the Merchant of Venice using actors. This resource is licensed under the Creative Commons Non Commercial license. Students can listen to the recordings for Act 1 - 5 using the above tracks.


Lessons on the Play's Themes

The British Council website offers lesson plans and worksheets on three key themes in the play - money, mercy, and prejudice.
For additional themes, click on the following: friendship, marriage, justice, love, isolation, choices and race

Videos

Here are four different types of video clips on the Merchant of Venice. Encourage your students to create their own video clip to reflect and summarise the Merchant of Venice. Powtoon is one example of an online video-making tool. 

  • Video 1 - Portrays the character Shylock in Act 3, Scene 1.
  • Video 2 - Uses images and sound to summarise the Merchant of Venice in six minutes.
  • Video 3 - An extended synopsis of the Merchant of Venice.
  • Video 4 - Professor Paul Cantor discusses 'Shakespeare and Politics' in the Merchant of Venice.

Short Summary on the Characters

Extended Summary

Tragedy and Comedy,
University of Virginia


External Reference for Students

Below are three external links to websites with a vast amount of information on the Merchant of Venice.
Ask your class to analyse and evaluate the sources and their synopsis of the Merchant of Venice. Students could use Webwise's quick guide to critical thinking and evaluation available here.


Assessment

A selection of assessment resources has been shared through the Scoilnet database. Teachers can share their own resources using their Scoilnet account.

Shakespeare Question - 2017

https://www.scoilnet.ieuploads/resources/26618/26354.pdf Added: 16 May 2018 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type: Assessment

State Examinations Commission exam paper question and marking scheme for the year 2017. The questions refer to Higher Level.

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How it maps to the curriculum

JC
English

Strand: 3. Writing

Strand unit: 07. Show Critical Appreciation to their Texts

Asset type: Document
Language: English
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

The Merchant of Venice - Planning an Answer

https://prezi.com/n5ssjnpxxsnr/the-merchant-of-venice-answer-plan/ Added: 16 May 2018 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type: Guide/notes

Prezi presentation by Dara O'Driscoll on planning an answer for the Merchant of Venice.

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How it maps to the curriculum

JC
English

Strand: 2. Reading

Strand unit: 04. Respond to Literary Texts Critically

Asset type: Presentation
Language: English
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

The Merchant of Venice - Hero/ Heroine/ Villain

http://www.aoifesnotes.com/junior-c...o%20or%20heroine%20or%20Villain.pdf Added: 16 May 2018 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type: Reference

In this sample answer, Aoife O'Driscoll uses the Merchant of Venice to cover the 2011 JC drama question on hero/heroine/villain. Notes are from the website www.aoifesnotes.com

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How it maps to the curriculum

JC
English

Strand: 2. Reading

Strand unit: 04. Respond to Literary Texts Critically

Asset type: Document
Language: English
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:

The Merchant of Venice - Relationships Sample Answer

http://www.aoifesnotes.com/junior-c...er%20-%20Merchant%20of%20Venice.pdf Added: 16 May 2018 Contributor: Scoilnet Resource type: Reference

The following sample answer addresses relationships in the Merchant of Venice, in response to the JC 2009 studied drama question. Notes are from the website www.aoifesnotes.com

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How it maps to the curriculum

JC
English

Strand: 2. Reading

Strand unit: 04. Respond to Literary Texts Critically

Asset type: Document
Language: English
Rights: All rights reserved
Special Needs:


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