A fully-resourced one hour lesson to support students in exploring the question of ‘to what extent was Shakespeare Anti-Semitic in his writing of The Merchant of Venice?’ Students will be guided through a class discussion and then work in pairs to unpack the language in act 2 scene 8.
Learning Objective: Consider to what extent Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock is anti-Semitic.
Learning Outcomes:
- Students will learn key vocabulary such as cultural context, stereotype etc.
- Students will be introduced to the cultural context of anti-Semitism in Elizabethan England and in Venice.
- Students will work in pairs to analyse the language in act 2 scene 8.
- Students will write a PEE question on Shakespeare and anti-Semitism.
Lesson Outline:
Do it now: Match the key terms to the definition.
Starter: Cultural context of anti-Semitism in Jacobean society.
Activity one: Reading Act 2 Scene 8 and discussion questions.
Activity two: Students work individually or in pairs to complete the worksheet.
Plenary: Write a PEE paragraph to answer the question ‘to what extent do you think Shakespeare was anti-Semitic?’
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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