Consider The Merchant of Venice’ as a tragic-comedy.

Ans.

A comedy is a dramatic composition of humorous or pleasant nature with a happy ending giving pleasure to the audience (or the readers) and presenting a humorous criticism of life. To achieve this a dramatist adopts many devices. Shakespeare achieves his purpose by presenting a vast variety of, even contrasting, characters. Shakespearean heroines are, almost as a rules, more intelligent, talented and dynamic and leave a lasting impression on the minds of the audience (or readers). To amuse and entertain Shakespeare introduces fools and clown and funny situations.

But a tragedy deals with the life (or part of it) of some important person who meets his doom through some flow in his own character. In a tragedy chance coincidence plays an important part.

In the play “The Merchant of Venice‘ we find the elements of tragedy and comedy. The atmosphere of the play is romantic. There is music, song and a lot of entertainment. On the contrary Shylock is a very important person occupying a unique position in the life of Venice’s trading community and also in the conflict between the Jews and the Christians. Through his burning hatred for the Christians in general (he has valid reasons for this) and Antonio in particular Shylock acts as a fiend and meets his doom through the intelligence and versability of Portia. Thus the play is a tragedy for Shylock but comedy for all else.

The Shylock story has, like a true tragedy, and exposition, development and denouement. But since Shylock is not the hero and there is one more powerful character, Portia, in it the play is a Romantic comedy also.

So concluding the argument we may safely say that “The Merchant of Venice’ is a tragic-comedy.

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