Synthesis

What part would you change in the story, and why?

I would change the part where Shylock gets away with such a heavy punishment. I think that he should get a lighter punishment, still having the power as the evil character of the story. This story seems too much like a fairy tale. Thus I would change the story such that both Antonio and Shylock gets away scot-free, and thus both of them carry on living their separate lives through their different measures.
However, I think that Shylock should be more promoted in the story as he is to me, a main character in the story. Thus I think he should be more promoted and should be more evil in the story, so as to create the effect that there are both extremes of good and bad.

The climax of any book or story is the exciting or interesting part. Tell what you think is the climax of the book and why.

I think that the climax is the part where Bassonia picks which chest he wants. In the end after analysis he picked the correct one. I think this is the climax because it fills the reader with suspense. At the same time, Portia is also filled with suspense as she wants to know whether she gets the love of her life. Thus this makes the story more interesting from our point of view as it allows us to be filled with suspense and think ahead of the story to imagine the outcome.

Identify one problem in the book and give an alternate solution one not given by the author.

One problem in the book is that Shylock wanted to get a pound of flesh from Antonio. Another solution is that Antonio realises that he cannot get even a drop of blood, and he accepts three times the amount of money and both of them leave, happily.