To the reader, The Merchant of Venice may seem horrible and it is impossible to find the "comedy" at all. Maybe Shakespeare was just trying to make people laugh at the terrible injustice we do to each other because of the little differences between us. Or perhaps he had initially wanted the spectators of The Merchant of Venice to feel that they, the Christians, had nothing in common with the Jew Shylock. What could Christians have in common with a Jew? Shakespeare demonstrates that Christians were just as greedy for money and fortune as the Jews. Maybe this is a comedy after all. Whether Shakespeare saw people, Jews or Christians, as just people, and if he couldn't make people understand that they were all people sharing common ground, then he would have to start with something he knew everyone could relate with it. The best thing that came to mind was money. It doesn't matter if the amount is in ducats, dollars or pesos, everyone understands this concept. Although it does not seem entirely clear in what way Shakespeare was trying to present comedy in this play, one thing is obvious: Shakespeare was a man before his time. So, in addition to trying to find where the comedy is, perhaps we should try to find where the most superficial person is. Who is the most superficial in this room? The Jew whose only business is money, or the Christians? It seems obvious that both are superficial, and one no more than the other. In the play, Bassanio makes no attempt to hide the fact that he must marry a rich woman to restore his fortune. Jessica, Shylock's daughter, promises to steal her father's jewels and fortune, proving that she too is hungry for money. Even Salerio and Solanio seem to only talk about wealth and wealth throughout the play. So yes, they are all superficial, and you can't relate to one more than another. So once again, we come back to the comedy of it all! Now that I think about it, it seems strange that the majority of our class found no humor in this play. When you think about the reasons for this situation, it’s simple. We don't laugh when reading this piece because we haven't changed. Since the time of this play, we have moved very little away from prejudice and putting people down because they are what we think are different, which makes them strange..