This ending didn't even come close to ending how a normal comedic play should end. Comedic plays end with parties, weddings, and birth. This play ended with a big fight. If someone was to think deeper into it, you could come to the conclusion that this might be a comedic play with a tragic ending involving the death of a leading role in the story. Love could be considered the leading role in this play since the entire story is circling in and out of romantic relationships. Love is starting to crack like glass in the end of this story. Lorenzo was fighting with Jessica, and all of the others were talking about sleeping with people other than the person they are married to right infront of their wife or husband. Even with this theory though, the ending of this play definitly did not match that of a normal comedy. But, I think Shakespear ended the play this way because it is still a comedy and it is supposed to be funny. It is funny when married couples start quarreling like this (sometimes).
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Does the ending of Merchant of Venice have a reason to end that way? And does the ending match up with the normal comedy endings?
2) Why do you think that Shakespeare ends this comedy with lover's spats between Jessica and Lorenzo, Portia and Bassanio, and Nerissa and Gratiano? Does this fit in with what we expect from a comedic ending?
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I agree with you. My impression was that comedic plays were supposed to end on a happier note. I felt like at the end, there was going to be a big wedding with Bassanio and Portia, and Lorenzo and Jessica. Instead, Jessica and Lorenzo have issues and it ends in a big fight. I think he may have done this to show that plays don't have to fit into the comedic or tragic mold, that they can end in different ways and still be good.
ReplyDeleteI think the play was a tragic comedy because of it how it ended. Also comedic plays have a comedic villain which people argue is Shylock and because the play isn't entirely comedic Shylock is a tragic character.
ReplyDeletei thought it was a tragic comedy because of how it ended. because in the end shylock was banished in a way and portias relationship was at risk because of the rights but then they got back on track an it ended with a lot of sex jokes.
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