Comparison between A Midsummer Night's Dream and Merchant of Venice - Essay Example

Comparison between A Midsummer Nights Dream and Merchant of Venice A Midsummer Nights Dream and Merchant of Venice are some of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays. This paper compares and contrasts the two comedies. In addition, it compares and contrasts Theseus, a character from A Midsummer Night’s Dream with shylock, who is the most famous character in the Merchant of Venice. While the two plays have romance and happy endings, they differ in the mood they set in the play. The Merchant of Venice is classified as a dark comedy because of character Antonio’s near-death experience, Shylock’s tragic ending and the anti-Semitism portrayed in the play.

On the other hand A Midsummer Night’s Dream is funny and light-hearted as it has a funny climax, involves fairies and all the characters have a happy conclusion. The Merchant of Venice has very anti-Semitic undertones. Shylock, the moneylender is Jewish and is portrayed as greedy and inhuman. Throughout the play, the shylock is referred to as “the Jew” and as an animal. Character Gratiano says, “O be though be damned, inexecrable dog!” in reference to Shylock. He is also referred to as “currish spirit govern’d a wolf” and whose “desires are wolvish, bloody, starved, and ravenous”.

(Hutchinson & Shakespeare 136).The character Stirling says, “These labels that are applied to shylock effectively strip him of his humanity, and his religious identity. He becomes reduced to something less than human”. (Hutchinson & Shakespeare 138). The shylock is also portrayed as murderous and people dislike him because of the way he deals with them. This is shown through his conversations with Antonio as he knows Antonio is trapped in a contract with him, for which shylock intends to kill him for.

Character Jessica, who is shylock’s daughter, tells Antonio she overheard her father swear to Tubal, Chus and his countrymen that “he would rather have Antonio’s flesh than twenty times the value of the sum” (Hutchinson & Shakespeare 143). He is so eager to see Antonio ruined that on hearing about Antonio’s financial disappointment, he says, “I’m very glad of it. I’ll plague him, I’ll torture him, I am glad of it”. (Hutchinson & Shakespeare 145). In A Midsummer Nights Dream, the character Theseus appears prominently in the first act and towards the end of the play.

He is portrayed as stern, cruel and heartless in the early parts of the story. This is shown when he gives Hermia the choice of either marrying Demetrious or death, thus greatly contributing to the dilemma of love. He says, "For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself to fit your fathers will, or else the law of Athens yields you up to death." (Shakespeare 15). In this sense, he tells Hermia that if she marries against her father’s will, she will be punished by death. Although he does not deliver this in a cruel and harsh tone, he appears to be strict and severe.

However, towards the end of the play he accepts Hermia’s true feelings and allows her and her lover Lysander to get married. He says, "Here come the lovers full of joy and mirth. - Joy gentle friends! Joy and fresh days of love accompany your hearts!" (Shakespeare 145). By doing this, he is shown to be more compassionate, loving and understanding. In conclusion, it is seen that while the two plays have similarities in that they are both comedies, they differ in that one is a dark comedy while the other is light-hearted.

In addition, on the two characters compared, Shylock is inhuman and murderous while Theseus is compassionate and loving. Works Cited Hutchinson, E. & Shakespeare, W. The Merchant of Venice. New York: Saddleback Educational Publishers. 2010. Print. Shakespeare, W. A Midsummer Nights Dream. New York: ReadHowYouWant. 2008. Print. Tamblin, L. & Ward, P. The smart study guide: psychological techniques for student success. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. 2006. Print.