send your response to one of the questions via the drop box. Your minimum is 500 words. Make sure that in your response you do not merely tell the plot. This is an evaluation or analysis paper.
1) Often a comedy of Shakespeare’s day is characterized by the fact that the plot is centered on love and romance, as is The Taming of the Shrew, and all of the characters end up relatively happy in the end after some misunderstanding or obstacle is worked out. By the standards described, how comic is The Merchant of Venice? Does the final act succeed in restoring comedy to the play, along with the Gobbo/Lancelet scenes earlier? How would you characterize the play?
2) Discuss the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio. What does their relationship reveal about their characters as revealed in the trial scene, among others?
3) After a play like Richard III where the women have virtually no power to effect any change, we see a female character in Portia that is smart and is the pivotal character in the play. Discuss Portia’s character. How does she compare to the men around her? Was Nerissa a good companion to her? Is Bassanio a worthy husband for her?
4) Compare and contrast Portia, Nerissa, and Jessica OR Bassanio, Gratiano, and Lorenzo.
5) Contrast the father-daughter relationship of Jessica and Shylock to the relationship we can conclude about Portia and her father.
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