The Tragic Hero Antonio

In most of Shakespeare's plays a tragic hero is often central to the plot, whether it be Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, or Macbeth. The Merchant of Venice is no different. Antonio takes up the role as the tragic hero and through the definition of a tragic hero, they must have one deadly flaw. For Hamlet it was his honor to his father and his urge towards revenge and for Antonio it is his naivete. This naivete plays a constant role throughout this play and leads to his downfall, like all the Shakespearean tragic heroes before and after him. Antonio constantly loses his funds because he is extremely naive in his dealings with other people. A good example of this is when he begins to place all of his money in a transaction overseas which he probably knows little if anything about. Since this is his only investment, when he loses his money because of this he has none to rely on. “Thou know’st that all my fortunes are at sea; neither have I money nor commodity.” This is what causes him to take out the loan, costing him a pound of his own flesh. Since the loan is costing him that amount it is probably either from a horribly unreliable businessman and/or it is an emphasis on how horribly naive Antonio is. If Antonio were not as naive he would not have taken out the loan or have even been put in that position in the first place. His naivete is what Shakespeare is trying to emphasize to the readers because that is what he does with all of his tragic heroes.