Explore how Shakespeare presents the importance of mercy in The Merchant of Venice. Remember to support your answer with relevant textual details.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme. The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. AO1: Respond to texts critically and imaginatively; select and synthesise relevant textual detail to support exploration and analysis.
2. AO2: Analyse the language, form and structure of texts, and explain how these are used to create meanings and effects.
3. AO4: Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which texts were written and received.
4. AO5: Communicate clearly and cogently in writing, using appropriate vocabulary and grammar and accurate spelling and punctuation.
5. Indicative Content (Examiners should reward any valid interpretations):
6. - Candidates should explore how Shakespeare presents the importance of mercy in The Merchant of Venice.
7. - Responses may include exploration of: The contrast between the rigid demands of justice (Shylock's bond) and the plea for mercy; Portia's 'The quality of mercy is not strained' speech as a central articulation of the theme; Shylock’s refusal to show mercy and his insistence on justice; The irony of Shylock being denied mercy later in the trial; The Christian vs. Jewish interpretations of justice and mercy; The consequences of a lack of mercy (revenge, cruelty); The idea that mercy elevates both giver and receiver.
8. - Candidates should also consider Shakespeare’s techniques in presenting the importance of mercy.
9. - For example, candidates may refer to: Language: Portia's eloquent and persuasive rhetoric, Shylock’s vengeful and legalistic language, biblical allusions; Structure: the trial scene as the climax of the play, the juxtaposition of Shylock’s arguments with Portia’s; Form: problem play, tragicomedy, dramatic irony; Context: Elizabethan attitudes towards justice and mercy, anti-Semitism and religious prejudice, legal systems of the time, Old Testament vs. New Testament views on justice.