TMoV: Tragedy, Comedy, or Tragicomedy?

 I think that The Merchant of Venice is both a tragedy and a comedy, a combination better known by the portmanteau tragicomedy. For The Merchant of Venice to hold this title, it's got to have certain characteristics that define each genre. Tragedies have, well, tragic heroes. These are protagonists or main characters that seem to never be happy- a description that Antonio seems to fit well. Proof of this is easy to find ("In sooth I know not why I am so sad...", etc.) and is displayed quite early in the play. A comedy has a love interest, funny wordplay/metaphors, and a plot with many twists and complexities. These three characteristics show (respectively) through Portia, snarky comments regarding the Jewish, and the fact that we don't know who the true protagonist of the play is yet. It is quite clear that the The Merchant of Venice is a tragicomedy, and choosing one genre or the other to define it wouldn't do it justice.