| a pound of flesh | to get back unpaid money at any cost (vengeful, bloodthirsty, inflexible behavior) |
| origin of a pound of flesh | Merchant of Venice ‘Shakespeare Shylock to Portia |
| reason | phrase given to Shylock from Portia to symbolize the amount to pay back an un-payed debt/loan |
| meaning in story | You did not pay me back for a while. The debt you must pay is one pound of your flesh to be able to pay me back in whole |
| exact site (not lines) | Act-IV, Scene-I of Shakespeare’s play, Merchant of Venice. |
| conversation | Shylock:Most learned judge, a sentence! Come prepare!Portia:…This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood;The words expressly are “a pound of flesh.” |
| context | Antonio cannot pay back Shylock’s money and usurer demands his flesh as a fine. Shylock could be demonic. |
| synonim | Usury |
| archaic meaning of usury | interest at unreasonably high rates |
| location | (Act-IV, Scene-I, Lines 295-303) |
| theme | The theme or central idea of this phrase is revenge, justice and mercy. |
| literary analysis | This phrase is a figurative method of expressing a spiteful penalty or a harsh demand — the consequences of non-payment on a distressed bargain. |
merchant of Venice “pound of flesh”
July 6, 2019