Merchant of Venice: Teacher Resources

Access teacher pack resources on The Merchant of Venice.

"The purpose of this teacher’s guide is to provide a variety of contexts in which to read the play and to see the film. The material is flexible and easily adapted to a variety of use —discussion questions can also be used as essay questions, historical, cultural and artistic contexts can provide ideas for research projects, and acting exercises provide the opportunity for active student involvement and passionate argument."

"Explore resources related to William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice." These resources include lesson plans and professional development.

"This teacher's guide provides summaries of the plays "The Merchant of Venice" and "Othello," essays, and corresponding student activities. The summaries can be used to introduce students to the plays before they watch the films, as well as for reference after viewing. The essays will help students gain background information and put the plays into context. The first essay, "Adapting Shakespeare," explores the timelessness of Shakespeare's themes, as well as the pros and cons of adapting his works, and the accompanying activities help students compare and contrast the adaptations. The second essay, "On Race and Religion," examines the portrayal of these controversies in the "Merchant of Venice" and "Othello," and the activities invite students to examine these issues further. The final section, "The Filmmaker's Vision," asks students to investigate the cinematic techniques and choices used in making the films. The guide suggests that these two plays offer excellent possibilities for team teaching in literature, history, social studies, and media studies."

"This full-scale, fast-paced 90 minute performance is designed to introduce students and families to Shakespeare. The original performance took place in the Globe Theatre."

"In this common module, students develop their understanding of how texts represent individual and collective human experiences through their exploration of Shakespeare’s 'The Merchant of Venice', a range of short texts and a self-selected related text. They examine how 'The Merchant of Venice' explores human experiences and the emotions that arise from these experiences, with particular attention to the ways language forms, features and structures are used to represent human experience .... "

"Throughout the pack you will find a range of rehearsal based activities, requiring an open space or clear classroom, which will help you to introduce the story and characters of The Merchant of Venice. Alongside these, you will discover a number of digital activities from Adobe that can be completed by pupils, building on their knowledge of the play and its themes."