Shylock
Shylock is the Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare's *The Merchant of Venice*, who demands a pound of flesh as collateral for a loan.
The character has become a byword for merciless creditors, though modern readings often emphasize his humanity and the antisemitism he faces.
His name is sometimes invoked for anyone seen as grasping or vengeful in financial dealings. (Lowercase shylock is a generic term for a loan shark.)
Elizabethan dramatist and poet
- AntonioRomance language name
- PortiaLatin-derived feminine name
- JessicaFeminine given name
- pound of fleshRuthless debt collection
Venice · Rialto · ducat · bond · Elizabethan · comedy · monologue · villain
Bigotry toward Jewish people
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
- tropeRecurring narrative device
- stigmaMark of dishonor
typecast · bigotry · miserly · avaricious · ghetto · othering · scapegoat · dehumanization
Punishing a wrongdoer
- grudgePersistent resentment toward someone
- resentmentPersistent bitter displeasure
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
- spitePetty malicious intent
wrath · animosity · justice · grievance · humiliation · scorned · wronged · knife
Carrying out a task
- actorOne who portrays characters
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- portrayalDepiction of someone
- sympatheticFeeling others' emotions
villainous · staging · costume · production · revival · reinterpretation · controversial · soliloquy
Shakespeare
Elizabethan dramatist and poet
pound of flesh · Venice · Rialto · ducat · bond · Elizabethan · comedy · monologue · villain · tragic figure
antisemitism
Bigotry toward Jewish people
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- prejudicePreformed unfavorable opinion
- tropeRecurring narrative device
stigma · typecast · bigotry · miserly · avaricious · ghetto · othering · scapegoat · dehumanization
revenge
Punishing a wrongdoer
- grudgePersistent resentment toward someone
- resentmentPersistent bitter displeasure
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
spite · wrath · animosity · justice · grievance · humiliation · scorned · wronged · knife · scales
performance
Carrying out a task
- actorOne who portrays characters
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- portrayalDepiction of someone
sympathetic · villainous · staging · costume · production · revival · reinterpretation · controversial · soliloquy
- ShakespeareRomeo, Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello
- Shakespeare CharactersHamlet, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo, Juliet
- Shakespeare's Rome & VeniceOthello, The Merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Venice
- Stage CharactersHamlet, Ophelia, Romeo, Juliet, Macbeth
- Jewish CharactersAbraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David
- Shakespeare VillainsIago, Lady Macbeth, Richard III, Claudius, Edmund
ShylockGood Samaritan
Compassionate stranger from scripture
philanthropist · benefactor · saint · altruist · Portia
Shylockphilanthropist
Donor to charitable causes
benefactor · patron · almsgiver · microlender · angel investor