The+Merchant+of+Venice

//The Merchant of Venice// raises important issues about how we treat each other. Its most blatant focus here is anti-Semitism, but it also highlights class, race, religion, gender, and sexuality, and the way those categories can divide us. At the heart of the play is the first scene of act four, in which Shylock tries to collect his pound of flesh after Antonio has defaulted on his bond. I frame the scene as crucial to our understanding of the characters and the play, and I ask stduents to write about it as a test. //What kind of a test is this?// I ask. //How would you assess or grade each character?// This activity helps them see that Shakespeare is deeply interested in mercy and forgiveness and that those qualities are the best the species has to offer. I think the wide canvas of the play helps them see that empathy is vital, no matter the person who stands opposite us.