What genre is The Merchant of Venice?

Answer 1

In one sense, The Merchant of Venice falls into the literary genre of a drama or play. One might then ask, what genre of play is it? When it was published in Shakespeare's lifetime ( in 1600) it was described as a "comicall history". Clearly it was intended to be a comedy.

However, especially since the 19th century, the character of Shylock has come to dominate the play, and Shylock's story is a terrible tragedy. However, there are often characters in Shakespeare's comedies who have unhappy ends, usually due to some character defect. Thus Jaques in As You Like It, who is dominated by melancholy, refuses to return to the court. More biting is the fate of the vain Malvolio in Twelfth Night who is locked up and publicly shamed. The merciless Shylock is treated more harshly yet. Modern audiences probably find the idea of forced conversions and stripping someone of his cultural identity more appalling than the Elizabethans did, especially in an era where religious conformism was strictly enforced, but nevertheless Shylock escapes terribly diminished even if he is still alive.

Of course at the end of the play just about everyone is married, although Jessica and Lorenzo do not look too happy with each other and we have to wonder about Portia and Nerissa beginning their marriages by deceiving their husbands and Bassanio and Graziano by breaking their promises.

All in all, Merchant of Venice feels more like later plays like Measure for Measure or All's Well That Ends Well, where the characters end up alive, married, and sort of happy . . . maybe. They are still comedies, though.

Answer 2

In one sense, The Merchant of Venice falls into the literary genre of a drama or play. One might then ask, what genre of play is it? When it was published in Shakespeare's lifetime ( in 1600) it was described as a "comicall history". Clearly it was intended to be a comedy.

However, especially since the 19th century, the character of Shylock has come to dominate the play, and Shylock's story is a terrible tragedy. However, there are often characters in Shakespeare's comedies who have unhappy ends, usually due to some character defect. Thus Jaques in As You Like It, who is dominated by melancholy, refuses to return to the court. More biting is the fate of the vain Malvolio in Twelfth Night who is locked up and publicly shamed. The merciless Shylock is treated more harshly yet. Modern audiences probably find the idea of forced conversions and stripping someone of his cultural identity more appalling than the Elizabethans did, especially in an era where religious conformism was strictly enforced, but nevertheless Shylock escapes terribly diminished even if he is still alive.

Of course at the end of the play just about everyone is married, although Jessica and Lorenzo do not look too happy with each other and we have to wonder about Portia and Nerissa beginning their marriages by deceiving their husbands and Bassanio and Graziano by breaking their promises.

All in all, Merchant of Venice feels more like later plays like Measure for Measure or All's Well That Ends Well, where the characters end up alive, married, and sort of happy . . . maybe. They are still comedies, though.