“The Merchant of Venice”: Understanding Why It’s William Shakespeare’s Widely Acclaimed Comedy

In the whole world’s population at least two-thirds are familiar with Shakespeare’s name. Among them, most are also aware of “The Merchant of Venice” and Shylock. However, few of us have read it in full, and until a while ago, all I knew about the play was how a cunning man gets out-smarted. 

But in an unplanned circumstance, I happened to pick up the book expecting a wonderful experience. But the first few scenes didn’t hook me in well enough. As I began wondering if it should be abandoned, famously quoted lines and universal proverbs rushed in to catch my eye.

Source: Self-photographed

“All that glistens is not gold”, the description of the world as “A stage where every man must play a part” are some of them. Moreover, one of the most quoted lines, within Holocaust literature, “If you prick us, do we not bleed?...and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?” also appears in this comedy. 

However, one outstanding characteristic of this particular comedy is the balanced action in all the scenes. Usually, Shakespeare’s plays tend to have a lot of dialogues and talking in the first three acts and all the incidents crammed into the last two acts. But this play was different. Thirdly, the clown Launcelot, other characters such as Gratiano added more flavors to the play.

Antonio and Bassanio: The Epitome of Friendship

Shakespeare has beautifully crafted an exemplary of male friendship between these two protagonists. The love that Antonio and Bassanio share, Antonio’s willingness to give up his life for his friend, Bassanio’s being grateful and doing everything to defend his friend, are not only heart-touching but definitely other-worldly. 

Our greatest English playwright has indeed wielded his pen craft-fully producing extraordinary literary elements that are repeated, studied, and analyzed to this day. Another obvious and primal focus is the role played by the female characters. Portia and Nerissa’s disguise, the concept of cross-dressing and their wit are highly acclaimed. 

In this aspect, the play offers itself to be viewed from a feminist perspective and several research papers and studies exist within the school of thought. Finally, “The Merchant of Venice” is a feel-good comedy for those looking to read an abridged story version and a rich literary production, for fellow literature buffs. So, if you haven’t picked it up yet, do it already :)