ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The Merchant of Venice can be seen as a tragicomedy. It has a comic structure but one of the central characters, Shylock, looks very much like a tragic character.

Detailed explanation-2: -Intermingled Characters. Unlike tragedy, tragicomedy intermingles people of the aristocracy with lower-class characters such as the Jewish Merchant Shylock and the clown Launcelot Gobbo. Besides, there are some recurring characters in the comedies like the drunk, the fool, the clever servant, and young lovers.

Detailed explanation-3: -Notable examples of tragicomedy by William Shakespeare are The Merchant of Venice (1596–97), The Winter’s Tale (1610–11), and The Tempest (1611–12).

Detailed explanation-4: -The Merchant of Venice is a typical example of a Shakespearean comedy in that its central conflict finds resolution before real harm comes to anyone. As in many comedies, the conflict at the heart of Merchant has the potential to end tragically.