The Merchant of Venice - Discuss the aspect of comedy in The Merchant of Venice.

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   gbeatty Teacher
   College - Freshman

   The Merchant of Venice can be considered a comedy an older sense of the word: all the characters we're supposed to be rooting for get married and grow wealthy, and they live, as far as we know, happily ever after. There are also some funny or potentially funny sections of the play, as well as sections that would have seemed funnier to a period audience than they might today: the insults, the disguises, the contest with the caskets, the egotism, teasing the almost blind father, etc. That said, I'd rather call it a tragi-comedy: a mix of tragedy and comedy. Shylock is harsh in wanting the pound of flesh, but his quest is more just than what happens to him. He is fundamentally mistreated.

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   http://www.enotes.com/merchant/themes

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   Posted by gbeatty on Thursday April 17, 2008 at 6:05 PM