Introduction
The play The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare contains distinct elements of comedy although it depicts issues of grave importance in the society today. For this reason, some scholars consider it a tragedy while others regard it as a tragic-comedy. However, the comic aspects present in the play are significant enough to warrant close scrutiny.
The play can be considered a comedy due to the portrayal of good triumphing over evil, as presented in the outcome of the protracted case between Antonio and Shylock, the Jew. The frantic passion for revenge ultimately drives Shylock into destruction, only that he fails to see it coming. On the other hand, the Christians, led by Antonio, live happily ever after thus making the play a form of comedy.
The comic forms apparent in the play contain elements of destabilization while at the same time, they evince comic energy and embrace serious issues. This is true of the various instances of comedy in the play. They include Launcelot’s straggle with his conscience (Shakespeare, p. 43-44), Lorenzo’s tongue-in-cheek jibe at Launcelot when he finds the latter in an intense conversation with the former’s love, Jessica (Shakespeare, p. 92-93) and of course the jubilation of Antonio and company at the end of the court case.
The serious issues raised in these instances of comic relief are some of the key thematic concerns in the play. They highlight such matters as anti-Semitism, love and friendship, revenge, betrayal and disguise. The essay will bring to the fore these critical issues which Shakespeare deems fit to present through comedy.
Role of comic forms
Personal battle with conscience has been highlighted through the portrayal of Launcelot, Shylock’s servant, as a buffoon. This is a critical issue that is commonplace in many people’s life. Launcelot is wondering whether to desert the Jew or not. He is about to make a very important decision in his life: he has to choose between the devil that he knows and the angel he is not very familiar with. The angel takes the person of Bassanio, though a fellow Christian, but of limited means unlike his current employer the Jew.
Launcelot’s final decision draws conflicting responses from various quarters. Most importantly, there is his old father who comes to honor his son’s employer with a gift, “a dish of doves” (Shakespeare, p. 47). He is taken aback by his son’s decision to quit working for Shylock. He quickly tries to justify his actions by appealing to the general distaste of Jews in the land but Shylock had earlier complained about the boy’s lethargy at work. It is clear that this is a serious issue but has been effectively addressed through comedy.
Shakespeare has also employed comedy in order to tactfully explore the controversial issue of anti-Semitism rampant in Venice (Tacitus, p. 321-322). It borders on racial and religious discrimination, which became a serious problem many years after the play was written. Racial discrimination, in particular, is a common malady in Europe, America, South Africa and some parts of the Asian continent. In the play, it pits native Venetians against Jews with deadly consequences. Shylock, a representative of the Jews, enters an impossible bond with his erstwhile adversary in the hope that it would give him an opportunity for the ultimate revenge. Antonio, on the other hand, relentlessly taunts Shylock, driving the latter wild with the desire for revenge.
This episode offers resistance to reductive moral meanings in that it tends to draw sympathy for Shylock even though the audience feels that such an agreement was deliberately malicious. Even when Shylock is asked to take many times the principle sum he lent to Antonio (Shakespeare, p. 98), he stubbornly refuses as he is looking forward to exacting a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body; an action that is likely to precipitate the Venetian merchant’s death. He pays dearly for it. The audience feels for Shylock especially after the heavily tilted administration of justice in the case.
Learning from this episode, people are likely to resist seeking revenge as a solution to challenges of a multi-ethnic existence. Natural justice ought to be allowed to take its own course while at the time espousing the virtue of mercy when handling adversaries.
Shakespeare also scouts the cryptic issue of love and friendship through humor. This is evident in the incident involving Launcelot, Lorenzo and Jessica. Lorenzo and Jessica have fallen in love and intend to elope since Jessica’s father would never agree to such a relationship, with Lorenzo being a Christian. Lorenzo and Launcelot are long-time friends – brought together by virtue of the fact that they are both native Venetians and Christians for that matter. When Lorenzo finds Launcelot in an earnest conversation with his love, he jokingly shows his jealous intent, which emphasizes his deep love for Jessica.
Another critical issue presented through comedy is choice. It concerns the Prince of Arragon and the three caskets (Shakespeare, p. 68). After a protracted bout of chest-thumping, the unfortunate Prince settles for the silver casket, which has the inscription: “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves” (Shakespeare, p. 68). The audience definitely laughs at his folly when he settles for this casket. Owing to his haughtiness and arrogance, the outcome of his choice is exactly what he deserves. The Prince of Arragon is actually a blinking idiot!
Shakespeare seems to be expressing an important point through this episode. People make wrong choices in life due to their own personal weaknesses. Such weaknesses include arrogance and pride. The prince of Arragon avoids the gold casket because it promises what many men desire. He considers himself more special than others. He hankers for what he alone deserves. In his warped mind, he has deluded himself that he is the only one worthy of Portia’s love. It is, therefore, important that individuals rid themselves off their personal prejudices if they ever hope to make informed decisions in life. It is these prejudices that cloud our judgements and hence lead us to wrong conclusions, which may be disastrous at times.
On the other hand, the use of comic forms in a literary work may not necessarily contain elements that tend to its own destabilization, or provide a source of comic energy that may foster serious meanings. This may also be gleaned from the play The Merchant of Venice. It can be argued that sometimes meaning is lost in comedy as people may not take it seriously (Nevo, p. 16). In the play, Shakespeare seems to be pointing out the folly of anti-Semitism as practiced by Christians in Venice. However, this is not succinctly clear because it is the Christians that triumph over the openly aggressed Jew at the end of the day. Shylock loses all his wealth and religion as well because he is coerced into being a Christian.
The subversion of justice at the courtroom is also a clear pointer to the failure of comedy to drive a serious point across. Portia, disguised as Balthasar, a young Roman doctor of law, is allowed to take charge of the case in spite of the fact that she is not a judge. There is something fishy when the duke does not even bother to verify the contents of the letter given to him. This can hardly offer resistance to reductive moral meanings. The impression one gets is that one may be able to manipulate the wheels of justice to suit their own selfish needs. It should be remembered that Portia is driven by the desire to save her husband’s friend, guilty or not guilty.
In addressing the Jew, Portia raises the issue of mercy in handling the situation. She cleverly implores the Jew to have mercy on Antonio, but she allows the cruelest judgment upon Shylock the moment she gets the opening. This is hypocrisy and should not be tolerated in the halls of justice.
Conclusion
Shakespeare uses comedy as a powerful and effective tool to illustrate human nature. Some key issues like love, racism, revenge and betrayal are mentioned in a manner that impacts more strongly on the audience such that as the audience laugh, they discover that they are actually laughing at themselves. The only challenge in The Merchant of Venice is that it is not purely a comedy as it is largely considered a tragedy.
Works cited
Nevo, Ruth. Comic Transformations in Shakespeare. Routledge Library Edition. Routledge: Methuen & Co., Ltd, 1980. Print.
Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Ed. Roderick Wilson. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1986. Print.
Tacitus, Publius Cornelius. “Book V.” History. Classics of Roman Literature. Wedeck, Harry E., ed. Trans. Anonymous. Paterson, N.J.: Littlefield, 1964. Print.