The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare was written between 1594 and 1596. It is classified as a comedy; it is also a work of good triumphing over evil, but serious themes are examined and some issues remain unresolved. In the play, Shakespeare weaved plots from different books. Shakespeare derives the story of the bond and the story of the ring from an Italian short story, LL Pecorone, in a collection collected by Sir Geovanni and published in 1558. The story of the bond appears in several sources, including the Gesta Romanorum. In the modern post-Holocaust 20th century, the problem of anti-Semitism had been demonstrated; Shakespeare portrayed Shylock as the stereotypical character of a cruel, money-obsessed Jew. The play makes generalizations about the Jewish people being the same and uses Shylock as a representative. The play revolves around two people; Shylock who is a vengeful and greedy moneylender and a Jew, unlike Antonio, a generous and faithful Venetian merchant who is a Christian. There are two plots, the flesh-and-blood trial between Shylock and Antonio and the three-coffin test involving Bassanio and Portia. Antonio is the character involved in the trial scene against Shylock. He is shown to be a good and faithful (Christian) person, as shown when the Duke shows sympathy for him at the beginning of the trial "I'm sorry for you". He is a person who would do anything for his friend. In this case Bassanio. Shylock is a Jew who takes revenge on Antonio's flesh. Middle of paper...... Antonio has done unforgivable things to him in the past. The courtroom scene expressed all the characters' thoughts and emotions towards each other. The tensions between the Jews and the Christians are powerfully explored, although my point of view is that Shylock should be the victor but he is defeated. The trial scene is brilliantly shown in the courtroom as if it were a real event. The actors who participate in this scene show their importance by helping to create a dramatic effect. For Shylock, justice was hanging in the balance throughout this scene, creating suspense. Antonio won the case and a sentence was pronounced; although I think this is unreasonable. Shakespeare successfully used devices to create a great impact on the audience. The effective use of style and language structure contributed effectively to the success of the play..