Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' is a comedy with a difference. It was written almost certainly between 1596 & 1598. The play is classed as one of the 16 comedy plays but it is also a 'problem' play due to the tragic elements woven throughout the intricate plot. The play concludes with a harmonious ending but all through the plot, reoccurring themes of sadness and tragedy are included.

In terms of dramatic structure, "The Merchant of Venice" is undoubtedly a comedy. It follows the typical upward trajectory of comedy (beginning complication to ending resolution}. Act 1 introduces the plays main complication, but it also sets the tone for comic expectation by establishing upward rhythm of comedy in each of its three scenes. Antonio and Portia's melancholy are shortly alleviated by appropriate distractions & hope. Bassanio hopes to thrive, Antonio tries to help his friend, Portia will not have to worry about being chosen by the suitors she has mocked. Bassanio and Antonio get what they mistakenly but happily think is a friendly loan and Shylock mistakenly and happily, he has hit upon a winning scenario. After the opening act has set the rhythm and expectation of comedy, there is incre

Another common feature of comedies is that the original problem is often less important and complex than the original solution. This is certainly true in "The Merchant of Venice". At the beginning of the play, Bassanios 'problem' is supposedly that he wants to repay the debt he owes Antonio Even though Antonio does not care Very much about getting his money back. Bassanio's solution to this problem courting and marrying a beautiful heiress promises to be pleasant enough for him but requires turning Antonio into a debtor himself & even endangering his very life. Only in the world of comedy would this sequence of events be accepted without question.

Love is not the only dominant interest of the play unlike Shakespeare's other romantic comedies. The play could easily be one that is dealing with issues of Jewry and usury that were very contemporary. Bassanio as a romantic hero is not a lovesick languishing figure but his motives are rather dubious. The climax of the play is not the love story, as it should be in a romantic comedy but in the trial scene that comes rather late.

"The Merchant of Venice" is a play about friendship & love. In the first scene itself Antonio displays the nature of love & friendship he feels for Bassanio, "My purse, my person, my extremest means lie all unlocked to your occasions". There is also a predominance of young people and many pairs of lovers and multiple marriages

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Approximate Word count = 948
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)