To the reader, The Merchant of Venice may seem horrible and it may be impossible to find the “comedy”. Perhaps Shakespeare was simply trying to make people laugh at the terrible injustice we cause each other because of the small differences between us. Or perhaps, at the beginning, he would have wanted the viewers of The Merchant of Venice to feel that they, the Christians, had nothing in common with the Jew Shylock. What could Christians possibly have in common with a Jew? Shakespeare shows that Christians were just as hungry for money and fortune as the Jews. Maybe this is a comedy after all. That Shakespeare sees people, Jewish or Christian, simply as people, and if he couldn't get people to see that they are all people with common ground, then he should have started with something he knew everyone could do. relate to. The best thing I could think of was money. It doesn't matter if the amount is in ducats, dollars or pesos, everyone understands this concept. While it doesn't seem entirely clear how Shakespeare was trying to portray comedy in this play, one thing is evident: Shakespeare was a man before his time. So, in addition to trying to find out where the comedy is, perhaps you should try to find out where the more superficial person is. Who is more superficial in this comedy? The Jew whose only business is money, or the Christians? It seems clear that both are superficial and one no more than the other. In the play Bassanio does not try to hide the fact that he needs to marry a rich woman to restore his fortune. Shylock's daughter Jessica promises to steal jewels and fortune from her father, proving that she too is hungry for money. Even Salerio and Solanio seem to speak of nothing but wealth and riches throughout the work. So yes, they are all superficial and it is not possible to rank one more than another. So, once again, we're back to the comedy of the whole thing! Now that I think about it, it seems strange that most of our class found no humor in this play. When you think about why this may happen, it's simple. We don't laugh when we read this play because we haven't changed. Since this play, we have moved very little away from prejudice and belittling people because they are what we deem different, therefore making them strange..