Shakespeare Comedy Essay

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Aleeza Waxman The Merchant of Venice essay The author of The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare, has transformed the literary world with tragic and comical plays. However, it has been long debated whether The Merchant of Venice should be identified as a tragedy or a comedy. Although few vague elements of tragedy are apparent in this play, The Merchant of Venice should be classified as a comedy because of happy endings, gender mix ups, and true love. One of the characteristics of a comedy is that it usually contains a resolution of conflict, which was reflected in the conclusion of The Merchant of Venice. “Happy endings” usually pertain to the protagonists, or the main characters, who survive or outlast misfortune. This is seen in this play when Antonio is spared and cleared of the debt he owed Shylock, when Shylock said ‘I take this offer then: pay the bond thrice, and let the Christian go, ” (Act IV, scene I.) In the end, Shylock does not take a pound of Antonio’s flesh, and even when Antonio thought he had it good, he did not have to pay Shylock a penny back. This is a prime example of a protagonist receiving closure. An additional example of a character with a favorable outcome is Portia. Portia's father's will states that the man who wins Portia's hand in marriage must correctly choose one of three caskets. Because of the high standers of her father, Portia found it nearly impossible to find the perfect suitor. At the end of the play, she does, in fact, end up with the only man that’s ever caught her eye; Bassanio. Bassanio is almost too happy to speak after he finds out he can marry her. He shows Portia how much he adores her when she says, "Only my blood, speaks to you in my veins" (act 3, scene 2.) Bassanio was telling Portia that she is the most important thing in his life now. These happy endings are typical of Shakespearean comedies.
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