The Merchant Of Venice As A Comedy Analysis

It could perfectly be considered a comedy because of all the generic features present in that genre. On the other hand, it also contains gloomy elements. Some example of this is Shylock’s desire for the alternate mode of payment on the debt, the pound of flesh from Antonio. Because of this various elements, attempting to categorize The Merchant of Venice into just one genre can get a little confusing. First, what is comedy and what is tragedy. According to TurtorVision.com, “comedy is a type of drama that is intended to amuse, usually with a happy ending. The central character of a comedy is usually an ordinary character that faces conflicts that arise from misunderstandings or mistaken identities but overcomes them, and the play ends with a happy resolution.” (TutorVision) and tragedy is “a drama that ends in the downfall of its main character… The hero’s downfall is meant to inspire audiences to examine their own lives, to define their beliefs, and to cleanse their emotions of pity and terror through compassion for the character.” (TutorVista). The difference in the two genres is very evident, mainly because in a comedy the protagonists end with a happy ending, but in a tragedy the

In The Merchant of Venice that comic relief came in the form of Launcelot Gobbo. “LAUNCELOT. Ergo, Master Launcelot. Talk not of Master Launcelot, father; for the young gentleman, according to Fates and Destinies and such odd sayings, the Sisters three and such branches of learning, is indeed deceased; or, as you would say in plain terms, gone to heaven. GOBBO. Marry, God forbid! The boy was the very staff of my age, my very prop.” (Shakespeare 316). This character was a clown that would tell jokes to lighten the moon in his occasional conversations. The presence of a fool or clown in stories is proof that this is not a tragedy, as the tone is too serious to incorporate