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Shakespeare? s The Merchant Of Venice combines three themes to form this successful play. It is actually a combination of romance, comedy and tragedy. A romance is a love story which ends with a happy note. Comedy involves an amusing play which also ends with a happy note.
Tragedy differs from comedy and romance in that, it is a serious play and the central character exits the play in disaster. Comedy is one of the themes portrayed in this play. Examples of comedy are shown through dramatic irony. One example of this irony is the ring plot at the end of the play. The ring plot begins when Bassanio gives up his ring to Portia, who is disguised as a doctor of law. Bassanio swore not to let the ring leave his hand until his death.
Bassanio then arrives home to Portia, who has the ring but does not let Bassanio know it. After a short fight Portia gives the ring back to Bassanio and says that she had to sleep with the doctor to obtain it. The dramatic irony in this is that we know that Portia is the doctor and her statement is true. Soon after Portia lets Bassanio learn that she was in fact the doctor. Bassanio acknowledges this by telling the doctor that he can sleep with Portia in his absence. Sweet doctor, you shall be my bedfellow: when I am absent, then lie with my wife. (Shakespeare, 229, ll. 284 286).
This too shows irony because Portia is the doctor and no matter what he will be sleeping with her. There is also romance involved in the play. The romance between Lorenzo and Jessica is bounding all over the place. Their romance begins when Jessica decides to run away from her fathers house with a large sum of money so that they can elope to Belmont.
After Jessica arrives at Belmont with her Christian suitor, Lorenzo and she are left in charge of the kingdom while Bassanio and Launce lot travel to Venice and Portia leaves with Nerissa to a nun? s temple to pray for their husbands safe return. Near the end of the play, while still in rule of Belmont, Lorenzo proposes that she and he could make sweet music together. Come, ho! And wake Diana with a hymn: with sweetness touches pierce your mistress? ear, and draw her home with music. (Shakespeare, 217, ll. 67 70).
It depicts Lorenzo? s love for Jessica and how much romance there is between them. Tragedy unfolds for Shylock near the end of the play. Shylock loses many things, like his daughter, his money and his religion. He lost his daughter to Lorenzo, a Christian, and he, being a Jew took this very hard. However what made him really depressed was losing all his valuables.
He lost his money and other jewelry, but he also lost the ring his wife gave him before being wed. After receiving this information he depended on the bond between him and Antonio to bring his spirits up. However the bond between him and Antonio is lost when Portia finds a loop hole in the contract. The contract states that Shylock is entitled to a pound of Antonio? s flesh. The loop hole is that Shylock is not entitled to a drop of his blood.
So if he were to let one drop of blood fall to the ground the bond would be forfeited and Shylock would lose the case. Shylock tried to change his mind and take the money offered to him but the court would not allow it. Shylock then lost all of his money to Lorenzo and he had to become a Christian. It can be seen how sad Shylock is when he says, Nay, take my life and all; pardon not that: you take my house, when you do take the prop that doth sustain my house; you take my life when you do take the means whereby I live. (Shakespeare, 20, ll. ) The Merchant Of Venice is a blend between these three themes. Romance mixes with comedy and tragedy to form the book. The themes are also arranged in a pattern so that the audience is put through a series of emotions.
Emotions like love, amusement and pathos. They are also arranged so that these themes are one after another, not one long part. This is why the play is such a success.
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Research essay sample on Comedy And Tragedy Merchant Of Venice
