The Merchant of Venice book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Act 1

1. What might Antonio's offer of help suggest about how he handles his own troubles?
2. How much weight should Portia give Nerissa's views when judging unwanted suitors?
3. Whose judgment seems more convincing about the loan, Antonio's or Lord Bassanio's?

Meeting 2: Act 2

4. Is the chance of marriage worth risking the right to court anyone else?
5. How should Jessica's hope to marry Lorenzo shape our judgment of her wish to change her faith?
6. Does Jessica's secrecy seem justified, or does hiding her plans from Shylock create an obligation she avoids?

Meeting 3: Act 3

7. How does the interruption from Venice change the meaning of Lord Bassanio's successful choice?
8. What does Shylock's refusal to hear Antonio suggest about the difference between seeking justice and seeking revenge?
9. What possibilities do Portia's papers, clothes, and disguises open up in your expectations for her journey?

Meeting 4: Act 4

10. Does saving Antonio through a legal restriction make the result feel just, or merely lawful?
11. Is asking for Lord Bassanio's wedding ring a fair request after saving Antonio?
12. What might giving away the wedding ring suggest about how Lord Bassanio weighs competing obligations?

Meeting 5: Act 5

13. How does the shift from a moonlit welcome to a quarrel change your sense of the marriages?
14. How does revealing the disguises change your judgment of Portia's request for the wedding ring?
15. What effect does unexpected financial news have on an ending concerned with marriage promises?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.