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On the literal level the idea of someone wanting a pound of flesh is very strange so what does it mean? It’s another of Shakespeare’s creative inventions, and the phrase is one of his greatest plot drivers.
Shakespeare has coined this phrase in a figurative way, which refers to a lawful but unreasonable recompense during the late 18th century. Here, the mentioning of flesh suggests vengeful, bloodthirstiness, and inflexible behavior to get back borrowed money.
"A pound of flesh" is a figurative way of referring to a harsh demand or spiteful penalty—the consequences of defaulting on a desperate bargain. But the usurer...
What's the origin of the phrase 'Pound of flesh'? This of course derives from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, 1596. The insistence by Shylock of the payment of Antonio’s flesh is the central plot device of the play: SHYLOCK: The pound of flesh which I demand of him Is deerely bought, ’tis mine, and I will haue it.
Jul 31, 2015 · In court at Venice, Shylock demands that the terms of his bond be fulfilled. Portia enters as a doctor of laws, with a letter of introduction from Dr. Bellario. She saves Antonio by determining that the bond allows Shylock no more than a pound of Antonio’s flesh and not a drop of his blood.
Aug 30, 2024 · The phrase “a pound of flesh” means a strict, exact, and often painful repayment of a debt. This idiom comes from William Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice,” where the character Shylock demands a pound of flesh from another character as repayment for a loan. Today, it is used to describe someone who insists on being repaid ...
William Shakespeare. Track 4 on The Merchant of Venice. The infamous “pound of flesh” contract scene. Bassanio and Antonio approach the Jewish moneylender Shylock for a loan of three...
It is Antonio that is made to suggest the loan as made not to a friend, but to an enemy; but it is Shylock who after all has guided the whole transaction and who suggests the "merry sport," a forfeit of a pound "of your fair flesh."
Why should you care about The Pound of Flesh in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice? We have the answers here, in a quick and easy way.
The Pound of Flesh. The pound of flesh that Shylock seeks lends itself to multiple interpretations: it emerges most as a metaphor for two of the play’s closest relationships, but also calls attention to Shylock’s inflexible adherence to the law.
