The Merchant of Venice' is a romantic comedy of love and venture.

The Merchant of Venice’ is a romantic comedy of love and venture. Discuss.

Ans.

The Merchant of Venice has four stories: The Bond Story, The Caskets Story, The Lorenzo-Jessica Story and the Story of Rings. The four stories have been blended together with great dramatic skill and art. The Bond Story and the Caskets Story are the two main stories out of which the texture of the play has been woven. The stories are in themselves complete – they have exposition, climax and denouement.

Considering the stories together and severally we reach the conclusion that “The Merchant of Venice’ is a romantic comedy.

The Bond Story has all the ingredients of a tragedy but it is not a tragedy and Portia saves the Bond Story and the entire play from becoming a tragedy. There is such a fierce and determined passion of revenge and hatred in Shylock and such deep and appalling gloom that to all appearances it suits a tragedy. To dispel the clouds of tragedy and entiven the drooping spirits after witnessing the tragedy of Shylock. Shakespeare has to incorporate the Caskets Story, The Lorenzo-Jessica Story and the Rings Story.

The three stories are romantic tales of love and adventure. The fancy and imagination, love and music constitute the romance and we have plenty of these in the Caskets Story, The Lorenzo-Jessica Story and the Rings Story. The Lorenzo-Jessica Story is pure and simple romance. The atmosphere at Belmont in the last Act before Portia’s return from Venice-the moonlight, the mood of the lovers Lorenzo and Jessica, the soft music, all transport the lovers in a region of eternal love-a romantic world – and transcend the gloom of the previous Act. The Rings episode is also fanciful.

The last act especially with its moonlight, music and lovers’ quarrels clearly show that the dramatist meant this play to be a romantic comedy and has succeeded in making it so.