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Shakespeare uses similar comic elements to effect similar outcomes in his works. Many of his plays utilize trickery and disguise to accomplish similar endings. Trickery plays a major role in The Merchant of Venice and drives most of the action, while mistaken id ....

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.... nor commodity/to raise a present sum" but urges Bassanio to go through Venice to try to secure a loan using Antonio's bond as credit (Shakespeare, Merchant 1.1 178-179). One of the resident money-lenders of Venice is an individual called Shylock, a person of Jewish descent. The practice of usury was traditionally banned by the Christian church. This allowed many Jews, because their belief system contained no objection to profitable money-lending, to become the de facto loan officers. Bassanio approaches Shylock to ask for a loan, and Shylock seems as if he is going to agree, however, he first asks to speak with Antonio. It is revealed in ....