The Merchant of Venice – Essay (Charlotte P)

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The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.Evaluate this statement in relation to your prescribed text. INTRO: Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice gives the audience questions to think upon in regards to the collective assumptions of Christians as good, of individual Jews as evil, and of justice as a fair process. The blended ‘tragi-comic’ play form reflects complexities and inconsistencies in human nature, raising questions about established social structures and flaws in human behaviour. This unpredictable and continually shifting environment of the play leads to ambiguities, encouraging questioning and reflection rather than telling the audience how to think.