Task 3

KNOWLEDGE: 1 point each [3pts]
1. Where did the story take place?
The story took place in Venice, a bustling city of trade
2. List the places mentioned in the book.
Venice, Belmont, Morocco, Arragon
3. What other books has this author written?
These are some of the books and the phrases from the book
A fool's paradise—Romeo and Juliet
A foregone conclusion—Othello
A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! —Richard III
A little pot and soon hot—The Taming of the Shrew
A tower of strength—Richard III
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him—Hamlet
All the world's a stage—As You Like It
An eye-sore—The Taming of the Shrew
As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods—King Lear
As white as driven snow—The Winter's Tale
Ay, there’s the rub—Hamlet
Bag and baggage—As You Like It
Bated breath—The Merchant of Venice
Beware the Ides of March—Julius Caesar
Blow, blow, thou winter wind—As You Like It
Breathe one’s last—Henry VI, part 3
Brevity is the soul of wit—Hamlet
Budge an inch—The Taming of the Shrew
Cold comfort—King John
Come full circle—King Lear
Come what may—Macbeth
Conscience does make cowards of us all—Hamlet
Cowards die many times before their deaths—Julius Caesar
Crack of doom—Macbeth
Dead as a doornail—Henry VI, part 2
Death by inches—Coriolanus
Devil incarnate—Henry V
Dish fit for the gods—Julius Caesar
Dog will have its day—Hamlet
Done to death—Much Ado About Nothing
Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble—Macbeth
Eaten me out of house and home—Henry IV, part 2
Elbow room— King John
Et tu, Brute! –Julius Caesar
Every inch a king—King Lear
Fair is foul, and foul is fair—Macbeth
Fatal vision—Macbeth
Flaming youth—Hamlet
For goodness sake—Henry VIII
Foregone conclusion—Othello
Frailty, thy name is woman—Hamlet
It smells to heaven—Hamlet

COMPREHENSION: 2 points each [6pts]

4. What was the problem in the book, and how was it solved?
The problem in the book was that Bassanio a young man of Venice wanted to marry to a beautiful lady named Portia in Belmont. However, he needed money before he could go to Belmont, therefore, he used the good name of his friend, Antonio to borrow three thousand ducats from the Jew, Shylock. Shylock thus wanted a pound of flesh from Antonio, which he hates to the core, if the money was not returned. However, it was rumoured that Antonio’s goods ship was destroyed while travelling on the sea, thus, this prompted Shylock to demand that pound of flesh from Antonio as he would not be able to return the money on time for Bassanio. The problem is solved by Portia disguising herself as the lawyer for Antonio and stating out the law that not a blood must be spilled in the process of taking a pound of flesh from Antonio. This made Shylock panic and decided to let the matter rest by just taking the sum of money back.
5. If you could continue the story, what events would you include? Why
If I could continue the story, I would include how the lovers, Bassanio and Portia lived after they saved Antonio. This is to ensure that there is a well ending and also that was what I wantd to know most after reading the book. Also, including the event of Antonio’s ships and trade getting better each day is a good way of ending the book in a happy manner. As the audience would love to see the people who were portrayed as good in the story to live happily ever after, this will ensure that the play ends well.
6. What did the title have to do with the book?
The title is “The Merchant of Venice”, which relates to the place that the problem started and ended, Venice. This merchant in this case should be Antonio, the person who is in trouble. However, this merchant can also be referring to Shylock, which is the main antagonist of the story and always being portrayed as a cruel and sadistic Jew. Shylock thus is the root of the problem and wants a pound of flesh from Antonio when he could not return him the money.


APPLICATION: 3 points each [9 pts]

7. Did this book give you any new ideas about yourself? Why?

This book did give me new ideas about myself. Shylock lent money to Bassanio because he was hoping that Antonio, his guarantor would not have enough money to pay him back, so that he can have his pound of flesh. In my life, sometimes I do lend things to a person hoping that he lose it and to punish him. Shylock seemed really cruel in the story and if did exactly what he did, wouldn’t that make me no different from him? Also, it made me think whether I will be like Bassanio, not judging a book by its cover but instead looks at different aspects and finally making a choice. I realised that I often stepped in the tracks of the prince of Morocco and the price of Arragon, judging a thing by its cover or think that I definitely deserves the thing which is not true, One example would be the discrimination against obese people. Although I do not ridicule the person, I do not try to engage him like how I did with the other classmates sometimes. I did that with no reason and it struck me that I was also in fact discriminating him because of his appearance. Therefore, the book made me think about what kind of person I really am and I shall try to make myself better.
8. If you were in a problem situation like the one in the book, how would you have acted? Be sure to tell what the situation is.
If I was in a problem situation like the one Bassanio went through the choosing of the casket. I would have chosen the lead casket too. This is because there is a Chinese saying “ The most impossible choice is the most possible one instead”. Also, it is in our virtues that we should not look at a thing based on appearance.
9. What lesson did you learn from the story?
I learnt that we should be merciful to people at all times as Shylock brought himself misfortune by not showing mercy to Antonio. As said by Portia, “ the quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath”. This showed that mercy is indeed a good attribute to have in your life. Also, I learnt to not look at the nice appearance of others and judge a book according to its cover from the event of Bassanio and the two princes choosing the casket.

ANALYSIS: 4 points each [12pts]
10. If your story happened in a foreign land, compare that country to Singapore.
This story took place in Venice. That country as described in the book, is a bustling city with a good trading industry. This aspect is very alike Singapore as Singapore also depended on trade and industry for its economic survival. However, they are also different in their culture, as the story states that people who lived there comprises of mainly Jews and Christians, however Singapore’s population comprises of Chinese.
11. If your story occurred long ago, compare that time with today in a good paragraph. If it was a modern story, compare it with a long time ago and tell what would be different
The story took place about 350 years ago and there was a major difference in the way people lived. The society then had many distinct social classes and they were given different treatment. The “low-class” people had no status in the society at all and they would always remain as a “low-class” citizen. However, nowadays people can rise to a higher status if they put in enough effort and everyone is given a say in the society whether you are rich or poor.
12. Find one word that describes a character in your book very well. Give five reasons for your choice of words.
The word is intelligent (Portia)
1. She managed to think of them disguising as men to enter the court
2. She also managed to think of alternative ways to prevent Shylock from killing Antonio
3. She knew the law really well
4. She used her knowledge to tricked Shylock into losing both his money and the pound of flesh he wanted
5. She knew how to look into the feelings of others and use it to her advantage

SYNTHESIS: 5 points each [15pts]

13. What part would you change in the story, and why?
I would change the part about Bassanio getting Portia so easily. The story made it seemed that Bassanio got Portia too easily and showed no sense of tension. By letting Bassanio go through more in order to get to Portia not only showed their “hard-earned” relationship but also tension as Portia’s wealth is needed to save Antonio’s live.
14. Organize this book into three or more sections and give your own subtitle for each section.
Page 23 – 67: The spark that creates the flame
Page 77 – 137: The venture for love
Page 138 – 155: The unlucky
Page 165 – 217: The rescue mission
Page 227 – 260: The judgement
Page 271 – the end: The merchant of Venice
15. Pretend you are a librarian recommending this book to someone. Write a paragraph telling what you would say.
This is a very suitable book for students in their secondary school period as the plot is easy to understand. Thus, this will make a very good introduction of Shakespeare to young adolescents. Their exposure to English literature will therefore be expanded greatly due the exposure to Shakespeare’s great works. It will also provoke them to think about the deeper meaning of his works and why he wrote them at that point of time. There are also many mature themes in the book and can make their mindset more mature. One of which would be racism. Though adolescents know of such a “event” happening, they do not know the deep consequences and how it affected the victims. Thus, this book will make them not only a better thinker, but a better person overall.

EVALUATION: 6 points each [18 pts]
16. Is the title a good one or a poor one and why?
The title in my opinion is a good one, however, there are some other facts that makes it pretty impossible to relate to the title. One of such would be romance. Romance is almost impossible to relate to the Merchant of Venice and the actual fact is that it wasn’t even the merchant that was in love. Thus, the title is a poor one in this context. However, the whole story started or is able to be started because of the merchant, which is Antonio, who is the cause of the problem and the problem itself. Therefore, the title is a good one to a certain extent.
17. Which character in the book would you choose for a friend? Why?
I would choose Bassanio as a friend. This is because on hearing that his friend Antonio is in trouble, he dropped everything on hand and went back to save him, where he just married his wife. This showed his loyalty to his friends and you may count on him as a friend. Loyalty is one of the most important aspects of friendship, without it, the friendship bond would be too fragile to withstand challenges.
18. Tell about the most exciting part of the book. Be sure to give at least three reasons
The most exciting part of the book is the part on the trial.
1. I wanted to know whether Antonio was being held to his promise of giving a pound of his flesh to Shylock. What will happen to Antonio? Would he die because of the injuries? What would Bassanio do to help except for pleading?
2. Also, I was eager to know how Portia can and will save Antonio as previously they said they were disguising as lawyers and going to court. Also, what is that letter from the famous doctor, how will it help in the case? Also, the talk on mercy between Portia and Shylock made me realise the true meaning of mercy. I do pity Shylock during the case as he is actually men like anyone of the characters in his story as shown from the quote “ If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us, do we not take revenge?” Shylock’s heart is locked up due to the racism then. Thus, the conversation on mercy is an interesting one as it shows how deeply Shylock is affected by the racism and his hatred for the Christians.
3. Portia also demand for the ring she gave Bassanio after the case when she told him to never give it away to anyone. That scene was both hilarious and exciting and it made me want to now how is Portia going to deal with Bassanio later on.