Characteristics Of Merchant Of Venice

What makes a Shakespeare play a comedy? The Merchant of Venice is considered to be one of seventeen comedic plays written by William Shakespeare. However, upon the first reading of the play, the number of scenes that render a laugh or even a small chuckle are limited. In fact, the most prominent and memorable scene is one in which a usurer, Shylock, demands a pound of a merchant Antonio’s flesh. So not only does the initial question remain, but it also expands to being: What constitutes a Shakespearean comedy and does The Merchant of Venice follow the characteristics of such a comedy? According to Lee Jamieson, an expert in theater and Shakespeare, there are four distinguishing foundations to a Shakespearean comedy. These four elements include …show more content…
Jamieson describes comedic Shakespearean love as having many sets, having obstacles that must be overcome, and in the end, uniting through marriage. The most prominent love story within The Merchant of Venice is the love between Portia and Bassanio. From the beginning we see that Bassanio faces conflict because not only must he somehow come up with the money to travel to Portia and win her heart, but he must also choose the right casket to win her hand in marriage. Portia also faces the possibility of other suiters picking the right casket before Bassanio has the chance to. Nevertheless, when Bassanio picks the lead casket and finds “fair Portia’s counterfeit” (3.2.1484), he has not only sealed the fate of his and Portia’s love, but also the love of Nerissa and Gratiano. This is because Nerissa and Gratiano could not be married unless Bassanio’s fortune won the mistress (3.2.1566-78). The third set of obstacle-ridden love was the love between Lorenzo and Jessica. Shylock, Jessica’s father, was very protective of his daughter and would not have allowed Jessica to marry a Christian. The consequence of this was that Jessica and Lorenzo had to elope together, leaving Shylock in the dark, alone and distraught. The love in this play is certainty teeming with various obstacles that must be overcome in order to flourish, yet nevertheless, this piece of Shakespeare comedy is undoubtedly fulfilled, as all three couples …show more content…
In The Merchant of Venice, the biggest plot twist is in scene four act one, when Shylock demands a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Portia, disguised as a lawyer, lets the court come to believe that Shylock will be successful in his demand for flesh. She publically tells Antonio that “[he] must prepare [his] bosom for the knife” (4.1.2188) and has Shylock’s approval and excitement, who says to her “O noble judge! O excellent young man!” (4.1.2189). Portia even gives Antonio a moment to say his goodbyes to Bassanio, without any indication that Antonio will be saved. Nevertheless, not long after Antonio’s goodbye, Portia finds a loophole in Shylock’s contract. She decrees that while Shylock may take a pound of Antonio’s flesh, if any Christian blood should shed, all of Shylock’s land and money would be confiscated and given to Venice (4.1.2251-58). However, the plot thickens again as Portia brings to court another law saying if an alien threatens the life of Christian, either directly or indirectly, half his goods shall go to the threatened Christian and the other half shall go to the state (4.1.2299-303). Shylock is once against dumbfounded, as now his livelihood and life are at stake for indirectly wanting Antonio’s life. After all was said and done, Shylock left court that day with nothing he, nor the audience, expected, not only giving this scene the climax of the play,