The Merchant of Venice: Characters (AQA GCSE English Literature): Flashcards
📚Flashcards
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15 cards from this deck
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Practise the cards
15 cards from this deck
Shylock's 'prick us, bleed' speech theme
Shylock's 'prick us, bleed' speech theme
Humanity & shared experiences; challenges prejudices
Shylock's pound of flesh symbolises
Shylock's pound of flesh symbolises
Justice & retribution against Christian society
How Shakespeare portrays Shylock
How Shakespeare portrays Shylock
Both victim and villain
Antonio's 'devil cite Scripture' reveals
Antonio's 'devil cite Scripture' reveals
Deep-seated prejudice against Shylock
Antonio's 'tainted wether' quote shows
Antonio's 'tainted wether' quote shows
Melancholic & self-sacrificial nature
Portia's 'quality of mercy' speech emphasises
Portia's 'quality of mercy' speech emphasises
Mercy over strict justice; Christian virtue of forgiveness
Portia values
Portia values
Justice tempered with compassion
'All that glisters is not gold' theme
'All that glisters is not gold' theme
Appearance vs reality; inner worth over external show
Bassanio describes Antonio as
Bassanio describes Antonio as
Dearest friend, kindest man; shows depth of friendship
Jessica's 'daughter to blood not manners' means
Jessica's 'daughter to blood not manners' means
Rejects Shylock's values; breaks from father & Jewish faith
Jessica's 'love is blind' quote illustrates
Jessica's 'love is blind' quote illustrates
Love's transformative power & irrationality
Gratiano's role in the play
Gratiano's role in the play
Comic relief; comments on absurdity of social conventions
Venice vs Belmont contrast
Venice vs Belmont contrast
Venice: commerce & conflict; Belmont: love & harmony
Lorenzo on music reflects theme of
Lorenzo on music reflects theme of
Harmony; music integral to human experience & goodness
Lorenzo's moonlight speech shows
Lorenzo's moonlight speech shows
Romantic idealism; Belmont's beauty vs Venice's harshness