Band 6 Merchant of Venice Annotated Essay & Full Play Analysis 🎭

In this article, you’re going to learn how to write a Band 6 The Merchant of Venice essay. 

Since graduating from USYD with Honours and an HD average in English Literature, I’ve supported 100+ HSC English students over 7 years, so I know what details you need to master from any text to get top marks. In this article, I’ll break down: 

1. A full plot summary
2. A breakdown of all the KEY characters
3. Several KEY quotes and themes
4. A step-by-step guide on how to plan and write your essay
5. A FREE annotated Band 6 TMOV response

So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to ace your analysis of The Merchant of Venice — let’s go!

The TL;DR on The Merchant of Venice 

1. What is The Merchant of Venice about in 2 Minutes? 

2. Key Characters in The Merchant of Venice

3. Historical Context 

4. Themes in The Merchant of Venice 

5. What You Need from the Texts and Human Experiences Rubric

6. How to Write an HSC Merchant of Venice Essay in 7 Steps

7. How do I adapt my essay to a Common Module question?

8. FREE Annotated Band 6 Merchant of Venice Essay 

The TL;DR on The Merchant of Venice 

Short on time? Here’s what you need to know:

Title: The Merchant of Venice

Author: William Shakespeare

Publish Date: Written around 1596–97; first published in 1600 

Genre: Comedy

Main Settings: Venice and Belmont, Italy

Plot Summary: Antonio, a merchant in Venice, borrows money from the Jewish moneylender Shylock to assist his friend Bassanio in courting the wealthy heiress Portia. When Antonio’s ships are reported lost at sea, and he cannot repay the loan, Shylock demands the agreed-upon penalty, a pound of Antonio’s flesh. The ensuing trial tests themes of mercy, justice, and revenge.

Once you’ve understood the basics, you may want to search elsewhere for some deeper critical insights into the play. Check out these open-access (free) journal articles:

1. The Merchant of Venice and the Possibilities of Historical Criticism by Walter Cohen: This article explores historical perspectives and interpretations of the play, providing insights into its context and enduring themes. 

2. “Fair Terms and a Villain’s Mind”: Rhetorical Patterns in The Merchant of Venice by Jane Freeman: An analysis of Shakespeare’s use of classical rhetoric within the play and offers a deeper understanding of its persuasive language and techniques. 

3. Racism and Homophobia in The Merchant of Venice by James O’Rourke: This article examines the complex representation of racial and sexual prejudices in the play while highlighting its multifaceted characters and societal critiques. 

What is The Merchant of Venice about?

Act I

Bassanio, who is too poor to attempt to win the hand of his true love, Portia, asks his best friend, Antonio, for a loan. 

Because Antonio’s money is invested in a number of trade ships, the two friends ask to borrow money from Shylock, the Jew. 

Shylock tells the men that if they can’t repay, he will claim a pound of Antonio’s flesh.

Key Quote: “If you repay me not on such a day, / In such a place, such sum or sums as are / Expressed in the condition, let the forfeit / Be nominated for an equal pound / Of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken…” (Act I, Scene III, Shylock)

Act II

Bassanio prepares to travel to Portia’s estate while Portia meets with suitors, attempting to choose the correct casket to win her hand. 

Meanwhile, Shylock’s daughter, Jessica, plans to elope with Lorenzo, a friend of Bassanio, which puts further strain on her relationship with her father,

Key Quote: “Alack, what heinous sin is it in me / To be ashamed to be my father’s child!” (Act II, Scene III, Jessica)

Act III

Bassanio and Portia fall happily in love after he successfully chooses the correct casket. 

Meantime, Antonio’s ships have been lost, so he is unable to repay Shylock the money that had been loaned. Shylock takes Antonio to court to claim his pound of flesh.

Key Quote: “I will have my bond; I will not hear thee speak: / I’ll have my bond; and therefore speak no more.” (Act III, Scene III, Shylock)

Act IV

Portia dresses up as a legal doctor and disguises herself as the judge of the court. During the court scene, Bassanio offers Shylock twice the money lent, but Shylock refuses.

At the last minute, as Shylock is about to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio, the judge (Portia) claims that the law does not state he can have any of Antonio’s blood.

Key Quote: “This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; / The words expressly are ‘a pound of flesh.'” (Act IV, Scene I, Portia)

Act V

Shylock finally agrees to take the money, but Portia argues that because he is guilty of conspiring against a Venetian citizen, he must give away all of his property to the state and Antonio.

Antonio does not ask Shylock to pay the money, but requires him to convert to Christianity and give his inheritance to Lorenzo and his daughter, Jessica, who abandoned him. 

Portia eventually reveals her disguise to Antonio and Bassanio, and it is revealed that Antonio’s ships have returned safely.

Key Quote: “Let us go in, / And charge us there upon inter’gatories, / And we will answer all things faithfully.” (Act V, Scene I, Portia)

Key Characters in The Merchant of Venice

Antonio

Antonio is arguably the protagonist of The Merchant of Venice, and the merchant the play is named after. As an audience we are drawn to Antonio due to his melancholy demeanour and devotion to his best friend, Bassanio. However, Antonio shows his dark side through the cruel and racist comments he makes towards Shylock throughout the play. 

Bassanio

Bassanio is Antonio’s best friend. He’s obsessed with two things: money and Portia. And since Portia is super rich, we could argue it’s just money. Bassanio is also manipulative and cunning throughout the play, using convoluted rhetoric to convince Antonio to lend him money and using figurative language to make it pretty clear he likes Portia for her money. 

Portia

Portia is the wealthy heiress of Belmont. Before his death, her father created three caskets and only the man to choose the correct casket could marry his daughter. Not being able to choose her own husband and being forced into limited feminine roles, Portia lacks autonomy within her society. However, she finds ways to circumvent the systems which oppress her, and demonstrates a surprising amount of agency by the end of the play. 

Shylock

Shylock is the Jewish man that lends Antonio 3000 Ducats on the condition that if he does not return the loan in three months, Shylock can take a pound of flesh from Antonio. Shylock hates the Christians and curses them throughout the play, yet we might feel sorry for Shylock when we see the abuse he endures from his society. Shylock stands out as a “what you see is what you get” kind of character, which contrasts against the deceitfulness of many of the Christian characters in the Merchant of Venice.

Jessica

Jessica is Shylock’s daughter. She steals her father’s money and treasures and runs away to marry Lorenzo, converting to Christianity. You may want to consider whether Jessica was justified in leaving her cruel father, or whether she abandoned her family and religion. 

Lorenzo

Lorenzo is close friends with Antonio and Bassanio. He marries Jessica, who, much like Portia, is loaded with cash after stealing it from her father. However, unlike Bassanio who just wants Portia for her money, Lorenzo seems much more likely to love Jessica for who she is. He also marries a jewish person, something his society would have condemned. So, you may like to consider whether Lorenzo is less confined to his society’s prejudices than other characters in the Merchant of Venice. 

Nerissa

Portia’s lady in waiting and bestie. Nerissa and Portia enjoy mocking her suitors together.

Minor Characters in the Merchant of Venice

• Gratiano: Bassanio’s friend.
• The Duke of Venice: The Duke of Venice’s job is to hold up the law. He has little power to help Antonio after he owes Shylock a pound of flesh.
• Prince of Morocco: One of Portia’s suitors. Portia and Nerissa mock him for the dark colour of his skin.
• The Prince of Arragon: One of Portia’s suitors.
• Salarino and Solerio: These two are difficult to differentiate from one another. These characters are merchants in Venice and friends with Antonio and Bassanio. 
• Launcelot Gobbo: Initially Shylock’s servant, he leaves to work for Bassanio. Launcelot Gobbo is the clown of the play, and often misuses big words. 
• Old Gobbo: Launcelot Gobbo’s dad.
• Tubal: A friend of Shylock.
• Balthasar: Portia’s servant, who she sends to Doctor Bellario to provide the documents she needs to appear as The Duke in court.

Context of The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice was written when antisemitism plagued Europe.

A fresh wave of this antisemitism erupted after the trial and execution of Roderigo Lopez, a doctor of Jewish ancestry who served and was accused of poisoning Queen Elizabeth I.

Jewish people were stereotyped as ‘greedy’ and ‘cruel money lenders’.

The Merchant of Venice has been criticised by some for appealing to this antisemitism, yet others have acknowledged the ways in which Shakespeare challenged the antisemitism of his time by humanising Shylock.

Shylock contrasts other depictions of Jews at the time, such as Barabas from Christopher Marlowe’s play, The Jew of Malta, which gave a more one-dimensional, stereotypical depiction of a Jew.

This was also a time in which women were seen as property by males, and it was very difficult for women to have any property or real power of their own.

It is important to consider this in order to understand the actions of Portia throughout the play, who circumvents and exploits patriarchal structures in order to gain power for herself.

Themes in The Merchant of Venice

1. Value of money over human life

Throughout the play, Shakespeare contrasts the value of human life and monetary value — we’re prompted to consider whether characters favour commodities or human life.

This quote conveys this idea in particular:

“I would my daughter were dead at my foot and the jewels in her ear! Would she were hearsed at my foot and the ducats in her coffin!” (Shylock, Act 3 Scene 1)

In this speech, Shylock is so enraged that his daughter ran away and stole all his money and jewels that he wishes his daughter was dead. Though, there’s more than one way this quote can be interpreted:

• Does it suggest that he desires all the jewels and ducats back, and his daughter dead, upset with what she’s done?
• Or is he saying that he doesn’t really care for the money, but is hurt by what Jessica has done, that he wants her dead?

2. Commodification of love

From the start of the play, Bassanio evidently shows that he cares a lot about Portia’s money, even just in the way he talks about her, stating:

“many Jasons come in quest of her” (Bassanio to Antonio, Act 1 Scene 1)

In this quote, Bassanio alludes to the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts, where a team of heroes go on a quest in search of a golden fleece. By suggesting that Portia is a prize, like the golden fleece, what can be said about the way Bassanio views Portia?

Portia’s father also reinforces the idea that love is transactional, as he controls her future with the casket test, treating her as a prize to be won rather than an individual with free will. 

This reflects a broader patriarchal structure in which women are traded and evaluated based on wealth, beauty, and inheritance.

👉 Need more key lines from the play? Here are all the important quotes you need from The Merchant of Venice to write your analysis!

3. Marginalisation of oppressed groups

Another The Merchant of Venice theme is the marginalisation of not only Jewish people in 16th-century Venetian society but women too.

In Act 4 Scene 1, Gratiano insults Shylock:

“thy currish spirit
Govern’d a wolf, who, hang’d for human slaughter,
Even from the gallows did his fell soul fleet,
And, whilst thou lay’st in thy unhallow’d dam,
Infused itself in thee; for thy desires
Are wolvish, bloody, starved and ravenous.”

This quote illustrates Gratiano insulting Shylock by suggesting he was reincarnated from a wolf. He also calls Shylock’s mother an “unhallow’d dam,” playing on the word “dam,” referring both to a female parent of an animal but also suggesting she is “damned.”

Interestingly, his language is Christian, but this idea of reincarnation is starkly non-Christian.

• Is Shakespeare complicit in Gratiano’s racism, or is Shakespeare self-consciously pointing out the hypocrisy of a Christian using non-Christian logic to insult Shylock?
• How does this link to the way Jewish characters were depicted in Elizabethan drama more broadly?

In addition to religious discrimination, gendered oppression is also prevalent. Portia, despite her intelligence and wealth, is denied freedom to choose her husband. Jessica, meanwhile, is trapped between two cultures, accepted by neither Christians nor Jews.

4. The individual desire for power and agency

Portia expresses her yearning for power to circumvent her marginalisation. As she tells Bassanio:

“This house, these servants, and this same myself
Are yours, my lord’s. I give them with this ring,
Which when you part from, lose, or give away,
Let it presage the ruin of your love
And be my vantage to exclaim on you.”

In this speech, Portia warns Bassanio that if he loses her ring, their love is ruined and that she will have power over him.

We could then say that Portia’s ring is a way for her to manipulate Bassanio and gain power over him, especially since she’s the one who plans for him to lose the ring.

Beyond Portia, Shylock’s insistence on the bond can also be seen as power-seeking. As a Jewish moneylender in a society that constantly dehumanises him, his desire to enforce the pound of flesh may be his way of exerting control in a system that oppresses him.

5. Justice vs. mercy

Throughout the play, the legal system is portrayed as both strict and forgiving, depending on who wields it. The contrast between justice and mercy is most evident in the trial scene, where Portia, disguised as a male lawyer, urges Shylock to show mercy:

“The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”
– Portia, Act 4 Scene 1

While Portia advocates for mercy, she herself is unmerciful when it comes to Shylock’s punishment, stripping him of his wealth and forcing him to convert to Christianity. 

This raises the question: is justice in The Merchant of Venice truly fair, or is it a tool used by the powerful to get what they want?

This theme also extends to how Antonio’s misfortune is resolved — despite his reckless financial dealings, he is bailed out, while Shylock is not given a happy ending.

6. Appearance vs. reality

From the casket test to Portia’s disguise, The Merchant of Venice repeatedly challenges the reliability of appearances. The three caskets symbolise the idea that true worth lies beneath the surface:

“All that glisters is not gold.” (Prince of Morocco, Act 2 Scene 7)

Similarly, Portia’s male disguise allows her to navigate a patriarchal world with more freedom, proving that identity can be created and performed.

Shylock is also often misundershood. To the Christian characters, he is a villain, but Shakespeare’s writing also allows him moments of humanity. His famous speech:

“Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?” (Shylock, Act 3 Scene 1)

suggests that despite the hatred he faces, he is as human as any Christian.

This theme ultimately asks: to what extent can we trust outward appearances? Does Shakespeare suggest that human nature is more complex than simply of good and evil?

What you Need from the Texts and Human Experiences Rubric

Before analysing The Merchant of Venice, it’s important to get familiar with the Common Module so you know how to relate to it in your assessment. Let’s take a look at the syllabus:

In short, this module is about deepening your understanding of how texts represent the individual and collective human experience.

Shakespeare was a playwright who was very interested in the idea of the human being, meaning “human experiences” are central to his thematic concerns. Here are some key ways that the play relates to the HSC Common Module syllabus:

1️⃣ Link to Individual and Collective Human Experiences 

Example: Collective human experiences in The Merchant of Venice include oppression, racism and marginalisation, as well the individual human experiences of overcoming these limitations.

2️⃣ Link to Human Qualities and Motivations

Example: Shakespeare represents the human qualities of ambition, and motivations of greed and power, by showing how his characters will do anything to get what they want. 

3️⃣ Link to Paradoxes in the Human Experience

Example: Shakespeare represents characters in TMOV paradoxically, as simultaneously marginalised (whether by money, gender or religion) as well as in positions of power. 

4️⃣ Link to Inconsistencies in the Human Experience

Example: Bassanio and Portia are presented as inconsistent, ostensibly motivated by their love for one another, but on a deeper level, motivated by money and power respectively. 

How to Write a Band 6 Merchant of Venice HSC Essay in 7 Steps 

Step 1: Understand the Question

Before you start planning your Merchant of Venice HSC essay make sure you fully understand the essay question. Read it several times.

• What is the focus?
• Is it about a specific theme, character or contextual detail?
• What do they want you to show in your response?

Highlight key words and think about what type of analysis is required: do you need to compare themes, unpack characterisation, or examine how Shakespeare uses language?

Step 2: Break Down the Text

Identify key scenes, quotes and character moments that directly address the essay question. You don’t need to analyse everything, just focus on what supports your argument. 

Step 3: Take Effective Notes

Now that you’ve highlighted the important moments, make a set of notes. Include:

1. Themes – What are the main themes relevant to the question? (e.g. justice vs. mercy, prejudice, love, revenge)
2. Character Analysis – What role does the character play? What human experiences do they represent? What character arcs do they undergo?
3. Literary Devices – How does Shakespeare use language, imagery or symbolism to develop ideas or characters?
4. Context – How does the context of Elizabethan society influence the play’s ideas? What about Shakespeare’s personal context as a follower of Christian-humanism.

My Tip: It’s always useful to organise your notes in TEE tables because it structures your analysis in a clear manner that you can paste directly into your paragraphs. Make sure you adapt the wording to fit your specific essay question!

Step 4: Develop a Thesis Statement

Your thesis is your argument – the central point you want to prove in your essay. It should answer the question directly and be specific. For example, if your essay asks about the role of Portia, a thesis statement could be: 

Step 5: Write the First Draft

Don’t worry about making your essay perfect right away, just focus on getting your ideas down clearly. Make sure you integrate your quotes and evidence into the argument smoothly. Each paragraph should link to your thesis and build your argument progressively.

My Tip: I try to write the introduction and conclusion last, after I’ve developed my body paragraphs, because it helps my argument feel more focused and coherent.

Step 6: Revise and Refine

Once you’ve completed the first draft of your Merchant of Venice HSC essay, take a break and then return to it with fresh eyes. Read through it and see if:

• Your argument is clear and focused.
• Your textual evidence is relevant and properly explained.
• There’s a logical flow between your sentences (e.g. argument -> quote -> explaining language techniques -> thematic/contextual analysis -> linking back to question).

Check out a sample body paragraph below:

Step 7: Proofread

It’s always really important to do a final proofread to check for any spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes.

Even though it can feel really tedious after you’ve already spent so much time writing it, awkward wording and mistakes can compromise the clarity of your argument and confuse the marker.

⭐ Bonus Step: Get feedback from Artie, our AI English Tutor

If you need some extra help refining your analysis for The Merchant of Venice, you might want to consider running it through Artie, the AI-powered English tutor from Art of Smart:

1. Head to the Art of Smart website and create an account. 
2. Log in and select “Analyse Quotes” from the sidebar.
3. Select either “I need help writing. Craft my quote analysis” to get some inspiration or “I need feedback. Help me polish my quote analysis” to get some instant feedback.
4. Upload your quote analysis into Artie, or follow the prompted steps to get started.
5. Use the feedback to polish your analysis and make your paragraphs even stronger!

How to Adapt your Essay to an HSC Common Module Question

Every student has the same question on their mind going into Year 12 English: How on earth am I meant to write an essay on the spot responding to a question I’ve never seen before???

The good news is that the rubric serves as a clear guide, outlining the various topics you can address in your essay. From this, you’ll see that there are essentially three types of questions you might encounter:

1. Comparing individual and collective human experiences.
2. Evaluating emotions and qualities arising from the human experience.
3. Examining inconsistencies, contradictions and anomalies in human behaviour.

There is often a lot of overlap between these concepts, so adapting an essay is usually just a matter of reframing your argument and switching out certain words. Let’s use a sample HSC question for example:

The first step is to identify the key elements from the question that you need to integrate into your thesis and topic sentences in order to actively respond to it. A sustained engagement with the question in your argument is the main thing that sets a band 6 essay apart from a band 4. 

For the question above, there are two key elements: Storytelling (and how effective it is) + Personal and shared human experiences.

The next step is to identify sections of your topic sentence that could be interchanged with terms which directly reference these key elements. Let’s compare a pre-planned topic sentence from a Merchant of Venice HSC essay before and after it’s been adapted to fit the question:

❌ Original Version: 

✅ Adapted Version:

FREE Annotated Merchant of Venice Essay

If you learn better from reading examples, access an exemplar response below with annotations that will help you understand how it has answered HSC marking criteria. 

Need extra help writing a Band 6 The Merchant of Venice essay?

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We can help you master your analysis for The Merchant of Venice by taking you through the summary, key characters, quotes and themes. We’ll also help you ace your upcoming HSC assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or at one of our state of the art campuses in Hornsby, the Hills or Chatswood!

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Brooklyn Arnot has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English Literature with Honours at the University of Sydney. She scored an HD average and has even received the Dean’s award for excellence! Brooklyn teaches our English classes at Art of Smart and has over 5 years of experience supporting Year 11 and 12 students throughout their HSC. She’s also a new Syllabus expert and studied 4U English in high school.

Holden Walker is a Senior English Coach at Art of Smart Education, with 7+ years of tutoring experience. He is currently a PhD candidate in English Literature at the University of Wollongong and was named Art of Smart’s 1-on-1 Coach of the Year in 2024. Having taught over 150 students tutored since 2021, Holden brings a wealth of expertise and dedication to his work.