I. Preparation

This will probably be one of the first plays that the cla.s.s will attempt. Hence there will be little or nothing to say about the drama, Shakespeare, or the development of his art. A short account of the theater in Shakespeare's day may be made interesting. Pictures of Venice, with an account of its wealth and magnificence in the sixteenth century; some facts about the condition of the Jew in England in Shakespeare's time; and a statement of the strange ideas concerning interest may prevent difficulties in the first reading.

II. First Reading

A good plan is to a.s.sign an act for a lesson; to use as much of the hour as necessary to test the cla.s.s on what they have read; to have some pa.s.sages read aloud; and to discuss the purpose of the act and its relation to the rest of the play.

III. Second Reading

This should be slow enough to give time for study and explanation of the difficulties of language, and for the study of important pa.s.sages as they throw light on plot and character.

IV. Study of the Play as a Whole

SETTING.--When and where are the events supposed to have taken place?

What, in the dress of the people and the customs of the time, shows that Shakespeare had England in mind?

How long a time is probably covered from the beginning to the end of the play? Where do the scenes follow one another without loss of time and where do they not?

PLOT.--What are the two main stories in this play? What three minor stories are also part of the play?

How has Shakespeare made it seem probable that Antonio would ask a loan of an enemy like Shylock? that so strange a bond should be offered? that a sensible man like Antonio should sign it? that all his ships should be wrecked within three months? that the court should really consider taking the life of a n.o.ble citizen on such a pretext? and that a quibble like the failure to mention a drop of blood should be admitted?

Are there other improbabilities in the plot? If so, how has Shakespeare treated them? Is there any hint in the first act that the bond will be forfeited? Give the suggestions that prepare us for Antonio's plight in Act III. (I, 3, 47-48, 155-160; II, 8, 25-32, etc.)

Was it reasoning from the inscriptions, or was it simply chance, or was it the characters of the suitors, that led them to choose as they did?

Discuss the questions.

Draw five parallel columns and place at the head the names of the five stories and episodes that are woven together in this play. Take each scene in turn and write under its proper head the main idea to show the progress of each story and its interrelation with the others.

---------------+-----------+-----------+------------+----------+----------- | _The | | _The | _The | _The | Bond | _The | Launcelot- | Lorenzo- | Rings | Story_ | Casket | Gobbo | Jessica | Episode_ | Antonio, | Story_ | Episode_ | Story_ | Portia, | Ba.s.sanio, | Portia, | Launcelot, | Lorenzo, | Nerissa, | Shylock | Ba.s.sanio | Shylock, | Shylock, | Ba.s.sanio, | | | Jessica | Jessica | Gratiano ---------------+-----------+-----------+------------+----------+----------- Act I, sc. 1 |Ba.s.sanio | | | | |tells | | | | |Antonio of | | | | |his love | | | | |for Portia | | | | | | | | | sc. 2 | |Conditions | | | | |under | | | | |which | | | | |Portia may | | | | |wed are | | | sc. 3 |To help |are related| | | |Ba.s.sanio, | | | | |Antonio | | | | |binds | | | | |himself to | | | | |Shylock | | | | | | | | | Act II, sc. 1 | |Morocco | | | | |chooses | | | | |and fails | | | sc. 2 | | |Launcelot | | | | |leaves | | | | |Shylock | | | | |for Ba.s.sanio| | | | | | | sc. 3 | | | |Jessica | | | | |shows her | | | | |intention | | | | |to marry | | | | |Lorenzo | ---------------+-----------+-----------+------------+----------+-----------

How is the plot introduced? or what is the exposition? (_The Merchant of Venice_, p. 148.)

As there are two main stories, so there are two climaxes. What are they?

Which of these we regard as the climax of the play will depend on which story we consider the more important in the development of the plot.

How does the Launcelot-Gobbo episode help to bring out the character of Ba.s.sanio? of Shylock? Do you think it serves any other purpose?

How does the Lorenzo-Jessica story help to weave together the two main stories? to arouse us against Shylock? to make us sympathize with him?

Does it serve to bring out any other characters?

How does the rings episode aid in interweaving the two main plots? in developing main characters?

Why did not Shakespeare end the play with Act IV?

What is the purpose of Act V?

CHARACTERS.--In making Shylock the cruel man that the story requires, Shakespeare was in danger of making him too inhuman to be of interest to an audience. Show in detail how he avoided this danger.

What kind of master was Shylock? What kind of father? What good traits had he?

By what traits do you distinguish Salanio, Salarino, and Salerio, or do you think that they lack individuality? Do Gratiano and Lorenzo have distinctive traits?

What evidence have we that Jessica was an attractive girl? What were her surroundings, her companions, her employments, so far as we can judge?

What effect would such conditions naturally have upon a girl?

Compare Shylock with Isaac of York; Jessica with Rebecca.

How was Antonio regarded by Ba.s.sanio and his friends? by Shylock? by the Duke? What traits of character does he show in what he says and does?

What anxiety have we reason to believe Antonio had for Ba.s.sanio? What hints do we get of Ba.s.sanio's previous actions and employments? What idea do we get of Ba.s.sanio's ideals from his words and acts? What impression of his character do we get from the devotion of Portia and Antonio to him?

What successive impressions do we get of Portia from what Ba.s.sanio says of her in I, 1? from her conversation with Nerissa in I, 2? from her manner and language toward the unsuccessful suitors? from her bearing toward Ba.s.sanio? from her planning to relieve Antonio and the successful carrying out of her plans? and lastly from her part in the ring episode?

FORM.--What is the meter of the play? Name several variations from the normal line, in number of syllables, position of the accented syllables, and in the position of the pauses.

Find several pa.s.sages that are worth memorizing because of their thought (for example, III, 2, 73-107), others like V, 1, 54-65, because of poetic fancy.

Distinguish between tragedy and comedy and tell how this play should be cla.s.sified. How is this play like Shakespeare's latest plays, the Romances? (See _Merchant of Venice_, p. 14.)

THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR.--What few facts about Shakespeare's life have been established beyond doubt? What others have we good reason to infer?

Give a brief account of the theater as Shakespeare knew it.

Into what four periods may we divide Shakespeare's work? (See Dowden's _A Primer of Shakespeare_, or Stopford Brooke's _Primer of English Literature_.)

Under which period does _The Merchant of Venice_ fall?

OUTLINE FOR THE STUDY OF AS YOU LIKE IT

I. Preparation

_As You Like It_ differs greatly from _The Merchant of Venice_ and _Macbeth_ in its appeal to the mind. To the lover of literature it is one of the most delightful of all Shakespeare's plays; but its interest is primarily aesthetic, not intellectual. For this reason it is extremely difficult to devise any satisfactory plan of study. The enthusiastic teacher will find ways of imparting enthusiasm to his pupils, but he cannot tell how he does it.

If this is not the first of Shakespeare's plays for the cla.s.s to study, a review of what they have previously learned about the author and his work will make a good beginning; otherwise the best introduction is the reading of the play.

II. First Reading

_As You Like It_ is one of the plays that best repays oral reading, therefore the finest pa.s.sages, at least, should be read aloud. But the chief purpose of the first reading is to get a clear idea of the development of the story. To this end the student should understand the purpose of each act and the relation of the scenes to one another.