task 3

2.Shylock - A Jewish moneylender in Venice. Angered by his mistreatment at the hands of Venice’s Christians, particularly Antonio, Shylock schemes to get his revenge by demanding as payment a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Although seen by the rest of the play’s characters as an inhuman monster.

Portia - A wealthy heiress from Belmont. Bound by a clause in her father’s will that forces her to marry whichever suitor chooses correctly among three caskets, Portia is nonetheless able to marry her true love, Bassanio. It is Portia, in the disguise of a young law clerk, who saves Antonio from Shylock’s knife.

Antonio - The merchant whose willingness to help his friend Bassanio prompts him to sign Shylock’s contract and almost lose his life. As Shylock points out, Antonio possessed of an incorrigible dislike of Jews. Nonetheless, Antonio is beloved of his friends and proves merciful to Shylock, albeit with conditions.

Bassanio - A gentleman of Venice, and a kinsman and friend to Antonio. Bassanio’s love for the wealthy Portia leads him to borrow money from Shylock with Antonio as his guarantor. Bassanio proves himself a worthy suitor, correctly identifying the casket that contains Portia’s portrait.

Gratiano - A fellow friend of Bassanio’s who accompanies him to Belmont. Gratiano falls in love with and eventually weds Portia’s lady-in-waiting, Nerissa.

Nerissa - Portia’s lady-in-waiting and confidante. She marries Gratiano and escorts Portia on Portia’s trip to Venice by disguising herself as her law clerk.

7. The story took place in Belmont and Venice, Italy.

9.Shakespeare has wrote many famous plays, such as Hamlet, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet.

12. In the book, I did not like Antonio entering the agreement with Shylock that should Shylock’s loan to Bassanio go unpaid, Shylock will be entitled to a pound of Antonio’s own flesh. I feel thatAntonio should not have been so confident that he would be able to repay his debts since the success of his business ventures was unpredictable and especially since something as precious as a pound of his flesh was at stake. His action turned out to be foolish in the end as his ships had indeed become lost at sea.

17. Antonio, a Venetian merchant, complains to his friends, Salarino and Solanio, that he is very sad but explain why. Salarino and Solanio suggest that his sadness must be due to his commercial investments, for Antonio has dispatched several trade ships to various ports. Salarino says the thought of the ocean sinking his entire investment would surely make him feel sad, but Antonio assures his friends that his business ventures do not depend on the safe passage of any one ship. Solanio then declares that Antonio must be in love, but Antonio dismisses the suggestion.
The three men then encounter Bassanio, Antonio’s kinsman, walking with two friends named Lorenzo and Gratiano. Antonio asks Bassanio to tell him about the secret love that Bassanio is harboring. Bassanio admits that although he already owes Antonio a substantial sum of money previously, he says he needs to borrow more money from Antonio in order to woo Portia whom he has fallen in love with. Antonio replies that he cannot give Bassanio another loan, as all his money is tied up in his present business ventures, but offers to guarantee any loan Bassanio can round up.

20. The title refers to Antonio in the book, a merchant by trade who lives in Venice.


23. This book reminded me of once where I borrowed money from my friend but I lost my wallet and was unable to return it. I was very embarrassed, but luckily my friend did not pursue the matter and said that I did not need to return the money. This incident is very similar to what happened to Antonio in the story, as he lost his ships and was unable to return the money he borrowed from Shylock.

26. If I were Antonio and I lost my ships, and thus was unable to pay Shylock back, I would have borrowed money from my other friends first to pay Shylock, then attempt to search for my lost ships and get back my money.

27. I learnt that it is important to be and remain merciful, even to your enemies. Revenge is not a good thing, and focusing on getting revenge will affect your life. In the story, Shylock kept on wanting to get revenge on Antonio, and eventually failed.

39. Melancholic. 1. He is always aimlessly moping about the streets of Venice. 2. He is too weak to muster the energy required to defend himself against execution, and relies heavily on Portia’s help. 3. He does not profess his love for Bassannio even though he is obviously in love with him. 4. He constantly denies that the reason for his melancholy is due to his unrequited love for someone. 5. He constantly pesters Shylock, a Jew, to convert to Christianity.
40. The main idea of the book is about a greedy Jewish moneylender called Shylock, who lost his daughter when she elopes with a man who belongs to a virulently anti-Semitic society. He then demands a pound of flesh from Antonio, the Merchant of Venice, as he did not pay his debt. Portia however, successfully defends Antonio from Shylock’s legal suit. In the end, Shylock renounces his faith and fortune.
41. Merchant of Venice is vastly different to the last book I read, which was “The Cry Of The Icemark”. The “Cry Of The Icemark” is set in a fictional world where many well-known and original mythological creatures come to life. It’s about how a small country survives an invasion from an Empire much larger than them, and it is written from the perspectives of both the Queen of the small nation, and of the general of the larger country who tries to overpower the small struggling country. The English used in the “Cry Of The Icemark” is more contemporary and much easier to understand, as it is catered for a much younger audience.
The 2 characters I will be comparing are the main characters of both books: Antonio of Merchant from Venice and Thirrin from “Cry Of The Icemark”. Both characters have totally opposite personalities. Antonio is a very melancholic person, and perpetually in a gloomy and sad mood. He also seems to be void of emotions, as can be seen from the fact that he is always seen moping about the streets in Venice. Thirrin however, is a very hard-headed and courageous princess. She tends do things without properly considering the consequences, but she is still humble enough to accept her wrongdoings.
50. Hi, would you like me to recommend you a book? A book really worth reading is the Merchant of Venice, a classic written by William Shakespeare. I have read it myself, and thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. The book is a comedy by genre, and it is very meaningful yet hilarious and interesting at the same time. The climax was absolutely the best and most exciting part of the book, but I won’t want to spoil the story for you, so I shan’t reveal anything. If you want to find out about the exciting climax, you’ll have to read the book yourself! You will be able to learn more about life in England during the Elizabethan Era, and also be able to learn some morals from the story. I strongly recommend you to read this book.

52. Hey, this is Peter Lim from 92 FM on the “Cool stuff” talk-show. Today, we’ll be talking about a book by a very famous English playwright – Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. By the way, I’ve got a special treat for you Shakespeare lovers, we’re giving away free Merchant of Venice movie DVDs to the first 50 people who SMS the password “Shakespeare” to 73388. Anyway, back to the book, for those of you aren’t too clear about what the Merchant of Venice is all about, let me give you a brief review of the book. A comedy, the story is about a Venetian merchant, Antonio, who helps his friend Bassanio, who is desperately in need of money to court Portia, a wealthy heiress who lives in the city of Belmont. Antonio lets him secure the loan from one of the city’s moneylenders and name himself as the loan’s guarantor. Antonio and Bassanio approach Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, for a loan. Shylock offers to lend Bassanio three thousand ducats with no interest on the condition that he will be entitled to a pound of Antonio’s own flesh should the loan go unpaid. When Antonio’s trade ships which he had invested all his money in were lost at sea, … well, I shan’t spoil the exciting climax of the story for those of you who don’t know, so I guess you’ll just have to watch the movie or read the book yourself! I personally have watched the movie, and I found it entertaining, romantic and spectacular. In fact, I actually preferred the movie to the book as I found it much more exciting. Also, remember not to miss this valuable chance to obtain a free Merchant of Venice movie DVD!

55. I feel that the climax of the book is the trial scene where Shylock is trying to obtain the pound of flesh Antonio agreed to let him have if Antonio failed to repay him a loan in due time. This is because this is the most tense and exciting scene in the book. It leaves the reader in suspense as to whether Shylock would win the trial and what might happen to Antonio after a pound of his flesh is cut off, or whether Portia had an ingenious plan up her sleeve that save would Antonio from getting his flesh cut off. During the trial, everybody’s pleas to Shylock to show mercy on Antonio were futile and it seemed that the situation was in Shylock’s favour, but the reader knows that most of the time good triumphs over evil and that Shylock will probably lose the trial somehow, thus creating suspense for the reader.

61. I do not quite like the ending of Merchant of Venice. I feel that although Shylock’s method for exacting revenge where not correct, he still did suffer under the hands of Antonio and other Christians. Furthermore, in the ending, not only did he fail to get his revenge, he is also forced to convert to Christianity, and immediately all Christians who had bullied and discriminated him are forgiven. I feel that there justice is not served here, so I do not like the ending of the Merchant of Venice.
62. Portia. She is quick-witted and resourceful, and is always willing to lend her friends her help if needed. This is obvious from when she helps defend Antonio from the suit, and resourcefulness can be seen from when she finds loopholes in the will to state that although it said that Shylock may take a pound of flesh from Antonio, it also states that there cannot be any blood spilled in the process.
63. I felt that the trial scene was the most interesting part of the entire book. It kept readers on edge as at first it made Shylock seem invincible, and made it seem like it was impossible for Shylock to win the suit. The arrival of Portia then seemed to give Antonio some hope of winning, but Portia agreeing with Shylock’s statements then spelled doom for Antonio. That was until she stated that the will allowed Shylock to take a pound of flesh, but did not allow any loss of blood. All of these up and downs made the scene very intersting and gripping, as the end was also very unexpected.

EL Shakespeare powerpoint

I feel that Shakespeare was a brilliant man. Even though he lived during the 16^th century, he is still remembered today as one of the best English literature writers ever. He wrote the best plays in the world, which are still read and performed regularly. His works are of very high literal value, being very deep and rather hard to understand. His works have allowed people today to understand how life was like during the Elizabethan era. Shakespeare’s plays have helped us to be exposed to various customs and cultures.

There are several similarities and differences between the Elizabethan era and the modern era.

England at that time had its own forms of entertainment, just like life today. They had theatres in the past, where people watch plays and concerts. It is similar to televisions today. In fact, we still have plays and concerts today. In the past, there were churches and chapels, where people practiced their religions. Today people still go to churches. The citizens also had various recreational activities, such as gambling. However, there are also a lot of differences between the Elizabethan era and today. During that time, there was still evidence of sexism being commonly practiced. However, today, there is almost no incidence of discrimination against women. Women are given the same amount of freedom as men.

I do not really think that Shakespeare’s works can apply to modern day concepts. The world is very different today, as can be seen from the paragraph above. Many of the concepts and morals depicted in Shakespeare’s works cannot be applied in today’s modern world, which has very practical concepts. However, it is also true that some of the concepts and strategies used by the characters in Shakespeare’s works and plays can be applied in our daily lives in the modern world.

William Shakespeare

task 4 activity 1

1.

1. I feel that the women in Saudi Arabia are treated very unfairly. They are treated like animals. This shows that Saudi Arabia has a very sexist approach to life in the country. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with women driving cars. It is not like they have committed any serious offence such as arson or theft. The world today is very different from the past, so I feel that Saudi Arabians should change the way they think of and treat women in their country. The world has changed and they should change too.

2. I feel that social media has been an advantage to the women in Saudi Arabia. Social media has enabled the women in Saudi Arabia to reach out to the general public much more easily than conventional methods such as passing out flyers or staging demonstrations. This may help them to get the support they need to change the government.

3. I feel that there should be a compromise between law and religion. The government and religious leaders could meet up and discuss policies and laws to come to a win-win situation. It is important that the rulers a nation and the people who comprise the nation come to a mutual agreement. Without an agreement, there would be a lot of unrest and conflict in the country.

4. Different countries have different ways of treating women. There is a trend that as country develops and industrialises further, more rights are given to women and they are treated more fairly. Thus, most countries today treat men and women equally. For example, in Singapore, there are very few instances of sexism. However, in the less developed countries, more freedom is given to men than women, like in Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to vote, or even drive a car. It is the men who make all the decision for the women, instead of women making decisions for themselves. Therefore, in less developed countries, there is constant discrimination against women.

Extension activity

2. I somewhat disagree with the statement that women make good leaders.

Firstly, it is undeniable that most leaders are men. For example, in Singapore, almost all the cabinet ministers are men. The president and prime minister have always been men in Singapore. Thus, it would not be good if a woman was to be a leader.

Secondly, women are influenced in decision making mainly by emotion, as compared to men who are influenced mostly by facts and logic. Women are generally more indecisive and are not harsh in their words. They often do not take a firm stand. In this way, the civilians would doubt their ability to lead a country well as they are not firm in their decisions.

Thirdly, as women are generally nicer and not so violent, during a war, a female leader may not be able to lead a country into battle, even if the enemy was about to stage an invasion. They may want to have peace talks with the enemy, but when an invasion is imminent, the top priority is to obviously prepare for battle. A woman may also not be able strategise and plan the use of war resources and soldiers as well as a man, as they are generally inexperienced in that area.

However, I also agree with the statement that women are more patient and in their work, thus they make good leaders. For example, women are better at diplomatic relations. They are able to build up better relationships with other countries than men could. The patience that women usually possess helps them in getting their message across.

Therefore, I somewhat disagree with the statement that women make good leaders.