Question Constellation Sign up for free OCR · GCSE · English Literature · Higher
Friendship and marriage
Section B – Shakespeare. The Merchant of Venice. Choose ONE question. You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section. In this extract, Portia has heard that Antonio has lost his money, and that Shylock is demanding his bond. The source PDF replaces the extract body with a grey copyright/link placeholder.
Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents friendship and marriage. Refer to this extract from Act 3 Scene 2 and elsewhere in the play.
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What a strong answer needs
- 1 extract focus
- 2 elsewhere
- 3 methods
- 4 context
- 5 SPaG
Why this answer loses marks
The scene is mainly about Shylock wanting his bond from Antonio.
That background matters, but the answer must focus on friendship and marriage, link beyond the extract setup, and analyse relationship-and-money language.