Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice
In this course, Dr Christie Carson (Royal Holloway, London) explores Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. We begin in the first module by thinking of the play's status as a comedy: is it enough for the play to end with a marriage for us to consider it a comedy? In the second module, we focus on the relationship between the four key characters in the play – Bassanio, Antonio, Portia and Shylock – before moving on in the third module to think about what the play values, focusing in particular on the scenes featuring Portia's chests. In the fourth module, we think about the various kinds of love that are demonstrated in the play, before moving on in the fifth module to consider the treatment of outsiders in the play – the princes of Morocco and Arragon, Lancelot, and Shylock.
What this playlist includes:
10 lectures across 2 courses.
All resources designed and delivered by university academics and researchers.
Courses and Lectures
1. Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice
Dr Christie Carson
Royal Holloway, London
Royal Holloway, London
1.1. Is the play a comedy? – 11:21
1.2. Who are the key players? – 10:43
1.3. What does the play value? – 11:15
1.4. What kinds of love are demonstrated in the play? – 10:53
1.5. What is the status of aliens in the play? – 10:28
2. Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice
Dr Sophie Duncan
University of Oxford
University of Oxford
2.1. Venice – 11:10
2.2. Same-Sex Desire – 13:14
2.3. Sources – 12:04
2.4. Portia, Nerissa and Jessica – 14:09
2.5. Anti-Semitism – 16:05
What Next?
Check out these other playlists within English Literature:
