The Merchant of Venice

Use the play The Merchant of Venice to compose an essay. As to the topic, I’d like you to follow a format.  I call it the “repeated element.”  Your introduction should do the following: 1. Briefly describe an important moment or element in the play: this might be a gesture, like challenging someone, vowing something, giving a ring, etc.; it might be an image or a description, such as honor, horses, or music. You might find a repeated plot element or motif, such as the appearance of someone or something, or their loss, etc. 2. Describe a second instance of this later in the play. 3. Provide an argument about these: that is, some kind of statement about why it’s important thematically (beyond the plot!) to see the differences here. The difference might be actual differences, or a different context (different character uses the image, or at a different time, or to mean a different thing, etc.). Observe the structure: 1) Situate my reader at a precise moment and mention what’s significant about it 2) Point out that there’s an issue here that goes beyond the precise movement, a “larger point”; 3) Explain what the problem shows us, for example how the play balances the emphasis with spirit with a concern for the physcial body.  Citation: MLA parenthetical citation with a Works Cited list