According to dictionary.com, a tragedy is an art form based on human suffering; furthermore, it is a dramatic composition, dealing with a serious or dark theme, usually that of a great character destined, because of a character flaw or conflict with an overwhelming force, as destiny or society, to fall or destruction. Tragic elements are those in which a protagonist suffers from disconnection from society and also, he or she makes a mistake or makes a horrible decision. There are usually deaths that occur at or near the end of the play. The Merchant of Venice can be classified as a tragedy because it contains the rather sinister elements usually found in tragedies and the play Antigone can be considered a tragedy, due to the serious consequences of how the story unfolds. As a tragedy, The Merchant of Venice focuses on the collapse of a Jewish moneylender, Shylock, who leaves the stage a shipwrecked man and is inevitable at the end of the play to become a Christian and abandon his possessions. In this play, Shylock is the tragic hero because he has a tragic flaw. His flaw is quite obvious throughout the play, which is that his material prosperity exhausts his judgment on a daily basis. One example where it's obvious that he's just minding his own business is when his daughter, Jessica, runs away. He said: “O my ducats! O my daughter! I ran away with a Christian! O my Christian ducats” (Shakespeare 2.8.15-16). He integrates his daughter between the two as if she were one of his assets. Towards the end of the play, Shylock is humiliated. Shylock feels shame when Portia, masked as a man, uses his own remarks and bonds against him. This happens because middle of paper the desire for Venice is discernible by a prickly and ostracized Jewish moneylender, Shylock, who seeks revenge on a Christian merchant who goes bankrupt on credit. Shylock and Antonio experience personal distress together that can categorize these plays as tragedies. Antigone is a distinct story of true misfortune as Creon is overpowered by his individual measures and Antigone's individual tragic inevitability marks the beginning of this collapse. Antigone and Creon have vital tragic flaws in each other that ultimately lead to their tragedies. Therefore, Antigone and The Merchant of Venice also compare in the execution of these two tragedies. Dictionary.com. Dictionary, 2011. Web. December 1, 2011. Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Sophocles, . Antigone. Clayton: Prestwick House, 2005.