The Merchant of Venice Primary Pack 2015
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ABOUT THIS PACK This Primary Teachers’ pack supports the RSC’s 2015 production of The Merchant of Venice, directed by Polly Findlay, which opened on 14 May 2015 at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. This pack will support Primary pupils participating in the broadcast of The Merchant of Venice to UK schools on Thursday 21 April 2016, and mentions the broadcast, but you do not have to watch the broadcast to use the pack. There are also more activities available in the The Merchant of Venice Teacher Pack that can be adapted for younger pupils. For Primary schools taking part in the broadcast we recommend that you watch – . The first two parts of the play and then re-join for the Q&A. This option will allow your pupils to focus on the storyline of Portia. For the above we recommend that you complete Activity 1 before watching as an understanding of the story will really help your pupils. In this production Antonio and Bassanio appear to be in a romantic relationship. The play shows them kissing in the first part and may change pupils opinions about Bassanio’s relationship with Portia or raise questions about same sex relationships. These symbols are used throughout the pack: CONTENTS READ Knowing the Story Page 2 Notes from the production, background info or extracts Exploring the Characters Page 3 ACTIVITY Portia’s Journey Page 4 An active classroom or open space activity Resource Materials Page 6 WRITE A discussion or writing activity LINKS - 1 - Useful web addresses and Registered charity no. 212481 research activities © Royal Shakespeare Company KNOWING THE STORY ACTIVITY 1: THE STORY IN IMAGES Organise pupils into groups of four or five. Ask them to take one of the scene descriptions in the Resource materials and to create a freeze frame or still image that shows what happens in their scene. Encourage each group to then use the lines they have been given to bring the scene to life. Allow pupils the opportunity to watch each of the scenes, and lines, being performed in order so that they can see the whole story. Reflect with pupils on what they have seen. Is this the ending they would have expected? What would they have expected to happen differently? THINGS TO THINK ABOUT Remind pupils of the two characters responsible for the ‘bond’ or agreement that starts The Merchant of Venice: - Antonio is a rich Christian merchant in Venice who has recently put most of his money into some cargo on-board ships that have left Venice. - Shylock is a moneylender in Venice. He is often treated very badly by other Christian characters because he is Jewish. Ask pupils to think about a situation today where people are treated differently because of where they come from or their history. How do they think Shylock would feel towards Antonio and others like him, when they have treated him so differently? Why do they think Shylock agrees to lend Antonio the money to help him out? The lines below explain what will happen to Antonio if he doesn’t pay Shylock back the loan. - 2 - Registered charity no. 212481 © Royal Shakespeare Company This kindness will I show… If you repay me not on such a day, In such a place, such sum or sums as are Express'd in the condition, let the forfeit Be nominated for an equal pound Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken In what part of your body pleaseth me. Why do you think Shylock makes this threat? EXPLORING THE CHARACTERS The following activities are designed to help you and your pupils become more familiar with the characters in the play. They can be used as preparatory activities in the classroom before pupils watch the play, or they can be used after watching the play to help pupils reflect on what they’ve seen. Makram J. Khoury as Shylock and Gwilym Lloyd as Tubal in The Merchant of Venice. Photo by Hugo Glendinning CHARACTER TRAITS In the following activity pupils can explore the different characters in the play. Ask pupils to form a circle and invite one pupil to come into the middle to play each of the characters. o You could include more characters from the play if they know it well or could chose to cut this down to the main four or five characters. Invite pupils in the circle to direct the characters, asking them to position themselves and stand/sit like the character. o To help pupils develop their thinking you may want to ask them to explain their choices; what makes them think Portia would stand like that, for example. Allow pupils to direct each of the characters until they have a ‘living sculpture’ of the whole group of characters. - 3 - Registered charity no. 212481 © Royal Shakespeare Company Discuss with pupils what surprises them about these relationships or what doing this has shown them. Is Shylock very alone? Who’s at the centre of the picture? Do any characters feel like they’re on the outside of the picture? PORTIA’S JOURNEY PORTIA’S CHALLENGE Portia can only inherit her money when she is married and she can only marry the person who passes her Father’s test. Ask pupils to think about any programmes, films or books where someone has to pass a test or prove themselves before they can win the prize. Talk about what people normally have to prove in these tests. Invite three pupils into the middle of the room, with the other pupils standing in a circle around them and explain what the ‘test’ in this scene is: o Portia’s suitors, any man who wants to marry her, has to pick one of three caskets. Only one of the choices will win him her hand in marriage and their choices tell you a lot about the men. Using the casket descriptions in the Resource materials read them out loud to the group, one by one, asking the three pupils in the middle to represent the three caskets. They might choose to change their body shape or expression to help the rest of the group remember which of them is which casket. o Use of a single prop or a label for each casket or pupil might help them as well. o You may also want to work together to define ‘hazard’ before looking at the text. Ask three further pupils to take on the roles of the suitors who come to marry Portia. As each of the suitors step into the circle give them the line from the text in the resources and ask them to read it, then select a casket. Encourage the pupils in the circle to react each time a suitor picks a casket, pointing and booing if they get it wrong and clapping and cheering if they get it right. Before Bassanio steps in invite pupils to remember one or two things they remember about his character, then explain that Portia decides to break the rules for Bassanio and tries to help him pick the right casket by making a speech. - 4 - Registered charity no. 212481 © Royal Shakespeare Company Provide each pupil with a copy of the speech and invite them to read it through all together at the same time. Ask half the circle to become As and half the circle to become Bs. As they all read the speech again encourage the As to speakNadia loudly Albina asor Nerissa, emphasise Pasty Ferran asevery Portia, Kentime Nwosu as Morocco and Rina Mahoney as Portia's Portia says the words ‘I’, ‘Me’ or ‘My’ and the servantBs to in Thespeak Merchant loudly of Venice . Photoor emphasiseby Hugo Glendinning every time she says ‘you’, ‘your’. As they try this, ask the pupil playing Bassanio to make his choice again, but to really listen to what Portia is saying, moving between the caskets as she makes her speech and only choosing at the end. Reflect with the pupil playing Bassanio on what they think Portia is trying to do with the speech. Does it help him to make his decision? Why does she buy him time? Did the pupils in the circle think he would have picked the right casket without their help? THE COURT For pupils who are not watching to the end of the broadcast you may also want to spend some time during the final part exploring the play’s ending. The following activity will help pupils to explore the court scene where Portia (dressed as a male lawyer) argues to stop Shylock taking his pound of Antonio’s flesh. Ask pupils to think about all the reasons why Shylock should be able to take Antonio’s pound of flesh and then the reasons he shouldn’t. o For example, Antonio willingly agreed to the bargain would be a reason he should and it is a dangerous thing to do would be a reason he shouldn’t. Allow pupils to look at the reasons that Portia uses in the scene, in the Resource materials. Ask pupils to read each of the reasons aloud, taking turns to read a line each until everyone has spoken. Organise pupils into groups and ask each group to look at a different one of Portia’s reasons. Allow each group time to create a freeze frame or still image for the reason they have been given. Invite the groups to perform their freeze frames as Portia’s reasons are read through. o You may want to invite one pupil to play Portia and remind them that she has had to dress as a man so that The cast of The Merchant of Venice.