SuitabookThe merchant of Venice
Team Macaw Books
- Reading
- Try reading a short section together, pausing to clarify who has made each promise and what is at stake. You can decide whether to continue independently or discuss the conflict as it unfolds.
- Themes
- Debt and bodily harm: Shylock agrees to lend money to Antonio on condition that a missed repayment means Antonio owes a pound of his flesh. The condition makes the debt conflict carry a serious bodily stake, but the adaptation’s judgement of the bargain is not clear.
- Worth knowing
- The threatened bodily penalty is a significant element to consider. The book’s wording and level of detail around this threat are unclear, so consider whether your reader would welcome discussing it together.