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• Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is a play in five acts. The action moves chronologically.

• This is a typical Shakespearean structure that builds the drama to a climax or important turning point.

• It is written in blank verse and prose.

• It contains elements of tragedy and comedy.

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Remember

When you identify a point about form, structure or language, you should always explore the effect and consider why the writer chose that technique.

The Merchant of Venice is a play and so is intended for performance. Listening to actors perform the lines brings a play to life.

Novels often describe settings in detail and provide information about the physical appearance and psychology of their characters. They can be read at whatever pace the reader chooses.

In contrast, a play’s setting and its characters are open to the interpretation of its director and actors. A play is also a real-time event that is experienced differently by each member of the audience.

The Merchant of Venice was categorised as a comedy in Shakespeare’s time. However, it has two distinct plotlines:

• The romantic comedy of Portia, Bassanio and the caskets (which includes the mix-up with the wedding ring at the end).
• The bloodthirsty bargain which almost leads to Antonio’s downfall and has tragic consequences for Shylock.

The play has features of Shakespearean comedy such as disguises, misunderstandings, jokes and wordplay.

But it also has features of Shakespearean tragedy such as a focus on revenge, good and evil.

The combination of comedy and tragedy, and the play’s portrayal of antisemitism are aspects that have led it to be called a “Problem Play”.

The Merchant of Venice is written in a combination of blank verse and prose.

Blank verse

Blank verse is made up of unrhymed lines with a particular rhythm or meter. The majority of The Merchant of Venice is written in blank verse.

Most of Shakesepare’s blank verse is called iambic pentameter. The rhythm in iambic pentameter is made up of ten syllables per line. The ten syllables are organised in five pairs. The first syllable is weak or unstressed, the second is stronger. This makes the verse sound like a heart beating.

In this example from The Merchant of Venice, the stressed syllable is shown in bold:

���� sooth, I know not why I am so sad”

Prose

Not all of the play is written in iambic pentameter. About 20 percent of the play is written in prose. Prose does not have a definite rhythmical structure or meter.

Shakespeare often uses prose for characters who are lower status. So a king or queen would speak lines of iambic pentameter, whereas a servant might speak in prose. Launcelot Gobbo, Shylock’s comical servant, speaks in prose.

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Remember

When answering an exam question, consider whether the extract given is written in iambic pentameter or prose.

Think about what that reveals about the characters, their feelings and relationships.

The play is set out in five acts and told chronologically – in the order that the events happen. This is a typical Shakespearean structure that follows a pattern of building to a climax or important turning point – in this case, where Antonio is arrested and faces Shylock at the trial.

The structure of the play is made up of two separate plots. Shakespeare switches between the two plots.

• Tension is created by leaving gaps between the scenes involving Shylock and Antonio’s bloodthirsty agreement.

• The gaps are filled with Portia and Bassanio’s romantic comedy subplot which creates some relief from the tense drama, and builds anticipation.

The final Act sees Antonio freed, Shylock losing everything, and Portia and Bassanio reunited.

When writing about language, it is important to consider:

• Which language technique Shakespeare has used
• Why he chose this technique
• What effect this technique has on the audience.

Consider this extract:

"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, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that."

Test your knowledge of the language, structure and form of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice by taking this multiple-choice quiz.