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Although Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice is considered a comedy, cruelty runs rampant throughout the entire text of the play. Most of the characters exhibit some form of cruel behavior toward one another, including Lancelot who is cruel to his father Gobbio when he runs into him on the street. He engages the old man in belittling word play because his father has very poor eyesight and cannot tell that he is actually speaking to …

…Merchant of Venice, paying particular attention to Portia and Shylock. Both characters have not only been the victims of cruel acts, but they have also dealt their fair share of cruelty to others. Portia is seen as a keen and intelligent woman who wielded cruelty in the name of love, specifically to help her new husband's best friend. Shylock is seen as cruel without reason other than the fact that he is not a Christian.