Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice is one of his most famous dramas. However, while most of them can easily be classified as tragedy or comedy, this one doesn’t fit into one category. The reason is that while there are comic events and elements in the drama, there are also tragic ones that sometimes reach the level of absolutely horrifying. At the center of the drama are three things. The first is the friendship between Antonio and Bassanio, the second is the romance between Bassanio and Portia and the third but the most important is the bond between Antonio and Shylock. Shylock is a greedy moneylender and a complicated villain. He shows mixed character traits and that is why at some points, while he seems like a bad villain, at others he is clearly a businessman who amuses himself with his talks and dates. Still, if the drama gets so dark and tragic at some points, it’s because of his cunning and evil demeanor.
The romance between Bassanio and Portia are the comic parts of the drama and the bond between Antonio and Shylock the tragic part. Bassanio is a poor nobleman who loves Portia and needs money to see her. However, he does not have enough money and Antonio’s ships are at sea. Due to this reason, Antonio is forced to seek financial help from Shylock, who lends on the condition that if Antonio fails, he will have to give up a pound of meat from anywhere Shylock wants. The deadly bond contracts and leads to a series of tragic events. While Bassanio has gone to see Portia, Antonio’s ships are caught in a storm and do not return.
He cannot return the money to the cruel Jew and is therefore forced to fulfill the bond as the cruel Shylock wants. Antonio writes to Bassanio and if he has forgotten about his friend. He writes that he has not paid the Jew and will lose a pound of meat under the contract. The reason Shylock insists on killing Antonio is because he has offended the Jew in the past by calling him greedy and greedy. Jews were not treated with respect in Venice and that caused Shylock to undertake this plan of revenge. Antonio, who used to be a proud businessman, is forced to bow to Shylock’s will. The situation is tragic not only for Antonio and Bassanio, but also for Portia. Antonio has not been able to pay his loan and will have to let the Jew have his share according to the contract. Bassanio is unhappy because he believes that he is the cause of all this. Portia is sad because she cannot see Bassanio unhappy.
However, the tragedy reaches a point and then comical things happen in the drama. Portia is a resourceful young woman who finds a way to defeat Shylock. The contract mentions that he can have a pound of meat but not a pint of blood from Antonio’s body. Shylock loses his court case and is punished for conspiring against an innocent Christian. He loses all his wealth and property to his daughter and Antonio. Even his daughter leaves him to marry a Christian. Finally, everyone except Shylock feels happy. Shylock is left in a bad position due to his evil plot to get revenge on Antonio. His evil plan results in nothing but insults and misery for the Jew.
Shakespeare has balanced comedy with tragedy in drama. He has used both elements to make it interesting and have a long-lasting flavor. The cunning heart of the Jew, the innocence of Antonio, the love and romance of Portia make the drama engaging and interesting. Therefore, classifying it as tragedy or comedy would be wrong. However, Shakespeare’s art has created a great balance between the two that has been greatly appreciated from the moment it was written. Even in the character of Shylock one can find both elements and although his contractual ad attitude towards the poor Christian businessman is horrible, at various points he is quite hilarious with his humorous style and conversation.
