Find the main ideas. Read Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1, lines 184-197 below. 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: 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown; His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty, Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; But mercy is above this sceptred sway; It is enthroned in the hearts of kings, Write an outline of the main points of the passage from the Merchant of Venice: Topic: Mercy.
Text structure refers to how the information within a written text is organized. This strategy helps students understand that a text might present a main idea and details; a cause and then its effects; and/or different views of a topic.
