Shylock

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/shylock

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the literary classification?Principal antagonist and complex character in 'The Merchant of Venice'
2. What is the historical context of jewish presence in england?Expelled in 1290 by Edward I; readmitted mid-17th century
3. Who is Shylock in Shakespeare's play?Shylock is a Jewish moneylender in "The Merchant of Venice" who lends money and is the main antagonist.
4. Why does Shylock want a pound of flesh?He wants it as a legal punishment for a loan that was not repaid, showing his strict sense of justice.

Usurer: A person who lends money at excessively high interest rates; often associated with negative stereotypes.
Antisemitism: Hostility to, prejudice toward, or discrimination against Jews.
Archetype: A very typical example of a certain person or thing, often representing a universal pattern.
Renaissance: A period in European history, roughly from the 14th to the 17th century, marked by a revival of art, literature, and learning.