GCSE Shakespeare | Context Revision, Merchant of Venice

English Literature Quiz - The Merchant of Venice - Context (Questions)

This GCSE English Literature quiz explores the context of The Merchant of Venice, linking Elizabethan attitudes, religion and trade with the play’s events and themes.

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Fascinating Fact:

Today, the play is often studied in relation to themes of racism, religious intolerance and justice, as well as its original Elizabethan context.

In GCSE English Literature, context for The Merchant of Venice includes both Elizabethan England and Shakespeare’s imagined Venice. You consider attitudes to religion, trade, gender and outsiders, and think about how these shape characters’ choices, the court scenes and modern responses to the play.

Key Terms

Elizabethan context: The late sixteenth-century world in which Shakespeare wrote, including beliefs, laws and social hierarchies that shaped the play.
Prejudice: A negative judgement made about a person or group before knowing them, often based on religion, race or background.
Venetian society: The trade-based, wealthy city setting of the play, where reputation, contracts and public honour are especially important.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is the historical context of The Merchant of Venice?

The play was written in the Elizabethan era, when England was a Christian country and Jewish people were officially banned. Shakespeare sets the story in Venice, a powerful trading city, to explore money, risk, religion and the law.

How does prejudice appear in The Merchant of Venice?

Prejudice appears in insults, jokes and legal decisions made against Shylock because he is Jewish, as well as in the way characters judge outsiders and women. These moments invite audiences to question how fair the society of the play really is.

How do I use context in my GCSE essay on The Merchant of Venice?

Choose a key idea, such as religion or trade, and briefly link it to Elizabethan or Venetian society. Then show how this context helps to explain a character’s actions, a courtroom decision or a particular image in the play, using short quotations to support your points.

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When was The Merchant of Venice written?

[ ]	In the 15th century
[ ]	Around 1600
[ ]	Around 1700
[ ]	In the 19th century

Which of the following statements is true?

[ ]	Many Jewish people lived openly and traded freely in London during the 16th and 17th centuries
[ ]	Sixteenth-century London held a famous ghetto
[ ]	Before Shakespeare's time, England had always been a safe place for Jewish people to live
[ ]	During the Middle Ages, Jews were forced to leave England

What is meant by the term "usury"?

[ ]	The practice of loaning money for a short period of time only
[ ]	The practice of charging interest on a loan
[ ]	The practice of loaning money
[ ]	None of the above

Which of the following statements is true?

[ ]	Usury was illegal in England until the mid-seventeenth century
[ ]	Usury was only illegal in Venice
[ ]	Usury was only illegal in England
[ ]	Usury is still illegal in Britain today

What was the greatest source of wealth in sixteenth-century Venice?

[ ]	Piracy
[ ]	Mining
[ ]	International trade
[ ]	Agriculture

What was the "ghetto" in sixteenth-century Venice?

[ ]	A residential area where Jews were forced to live
[ ]	A name for the poorest neighbourhood
[ ]	A name for the wealthiest neighbourhood
[ ]	A neighbourhood where the Jews of Venice chose to live

Europe had a long history of Anti-Semitism which predates the writing of The Merchant of Venice. How does Anti-Semitism impact on the play?

[ ]	The Christian characters use violent and prejudiced language when speaking to or about the Jewish characters
[ ]	Shylock's behaviour is influenced by the Christians' expectations of him and by their mistreatment
[ ]	The play remains Anti-Semitic, even while exposing the Anti-Semitic views of its time
[ ]	All of the above

Which of the following is true of sixteenth-century Venice?

[ ]	It was multicultural
[ ]	Only Christians could legally live in Venice
[ ]	Only Christians could legally work in Venice
[ ]	There were no limits on people of any religion or nationality in Venice

Which of the following is an alternate title for the play?

[ ]	The Jew of Malta
[ ]	The Jew of Venice
[ ]	The Merchant and the Jew
[ ]	The Doctor of Venice

10.

A famous trial might have been an influence on The Merchant of Venice. Whose trial?

[ ]	Elizabeth I's wig maker
[ ]	Elizabeth I's personal secretary
[ ]	Elizabeth I's doctor
[ ]	Sir Walter Raleigh

English Literature Quiz - The Merchant of Venice - Context (Answers)

When was The Merchant of Venice written?

[ ]	In the 15th century
[x]	Around 1600
[ ]	Around 1700
[ ]	In the 19th century

The Merchant of Venice was written by 1598

Which of the following statements is true?

[ ]	Many Jewish people lived openly and traded freely in London during the 16th and 17th centuries
[ ]	Sixteenth-century London held a famous ghetto
[ ]	Before Shakespeare's time, England had always been a safe place for Jewish people to live
[x]	During the Middle Ages, Jews were forced to leave England

Jews were expelled from England in 1290, under the reign of Edward I. There were very few Jewish people living in England during Shakespeare's life

What is meant by the term "usury"?

[ ]	The practice of loaning money for a short period of time only
[x]	The practice of charging interest on a loan
[ ]	The practice of loaning money
[ ]	None of the above

Usury was later redefined to mean primarily the charging of excessive interest on loans

Which of the following statements is true?

[x]	Usury was illegal in England until the mid-seventeenth century
[ ]	Usury was only illegal in Venice
[ ]	Usury was only illegal in England
[ ]	Usury is still illegal in Britain today

Charging interest on loans is standard practice throughout much of the world today, but was illegal in England and much of Western Europe until the mid-seventeenth century

What was the greatest source of wealth in sixteenth-century Venice?

[ ]	Piracy
[ ]	Mining
[x]	International trade
[ ]	Agriculture

Antonio's activities help to make Venice and its citizens rich. Shylock and other people who are able to make a living from money lending play their own role in increasing the wealth of the city

What was the "ghetto" in sixteenth-century Venice?

[x]	A residential area where Jews were forced to live
[ ]	A name for the poorest neighbourhood
[ ]	A name for the wealthiest neighbourhood
[ ]	A neighbourhood where the Jews of Venice chose to live

Venice's Jewish population was placed under strict controls and Jews were only permitted to live in a place called the Ghetto. Shakespeare might not have known of this, since it is not mentioned in the play

Europe had a long history of Anti-Semitism which predates the writing of The Merchant of Venice. How does Anti-Semitism impact on the play?

[ ]	The Christian characters use violent and prejudiced language when speaking to or about the Jewish characters
[ ]	Shylock's behaviour is influenced by the Christians' expectations of him and by their mistreatment
[ ]	The play remains Anti-Semitic, even while exposing the Anti-Semitic views of its time
[x]	All of the above

The Merchant of Venice is a complex play which manages to evoke sympathy for Shylock even while he fits the very worst Anti-Semitic caricatures of the sixteenth century

Which of the following is true of sixteenth-century Venice?

[x]	It was multicultural
[ ]	Only Christians could legally live in Venice
[ ]	Only Christians could legally work in Venice
[ ]	There were no limits on people of any religion or nationality in Venice

Venice was multicultural in its population, but various laws and customs discriminated against those who were not Christians

Which of the following is an alternate title for the play?

[ ]	The Jew of Malta
[x]	The Jew of Venice
[ ]	The Merchant and the Jew
[ ]	The Doctor of Venice

What difference does the alternate title make in how you see the play? Does it change the perspective of the audience?

10.

A famous trial might have been an influence on The Merchant of Venice. Whose trial?

[ ]	Elizabeth I's wig maker
[ ]	Elizabeth I's personal secretary
[x]	Elizabeth I's doctor
[ ]	Sir Walter Raleigh

Roderigo Lopez, a Jewish doctor who had converted to Christianity, was accused of attempting to poison the queen. He was sentenced to death and was eventually executed in 1594

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English Literature Quiz - The Merchant of Venice - Context (Questions)

Fascinating Fact:

Key Terms

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

Try These Related Quizzes