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Where does the expression a pound of flesh come from?

Where does the expression a pound of flesh come from?

pound of flesh, a One’s exact dues; the precise amount owed, no matter what. The term comes from the famous trial scene of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (4.1), in which the moneylender Shylock demands that the pound of flesh that was promised him in payment for lending Antonio money be handed over.

What does Shylock mean about the pound of flesh?

Someone demanding their pound of flesh is saying that they are determined to get what is theirs by right, no matter how it may affect anyone else and regardless of the consequences. It comes from The Merchant of Venice and is spoken by Shylock, a moneylender, who is an outcast in Venice because he’s a Jew.

How do you use a pound of flesh in a sentence?

Use “a pound of flesh” in a sentence | “a pound of flesh” sentence examples

  1. According to the contract, you can get a pound of flesh , now you can do it!
  2. Shylock may have a pound of flesh to be cut off nearest to Antonio’s heart.
  3. The British government is demanding a pound of flesh in return.

Who wanted his pound of flesh?

Shylock
Shylock is a Jew who lends money to his Christian rival Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio’s flesh. When a bankrupt Antonio defaults on the loan, Shylock demands the pound of flesh.

Does Shylock take a pound of flesh?

In the court in Venice, Shylock demands his pound of flesh. Bassanio offers his wife’s money, which would more than pay the debt, but Shylock refuses to accept. Antonio’s death is only prevented as Balthazar explains the bond is for flesh but not for a single drop of blood. So Shylock cannot collect the pound of flesh.

What will happen to Shylock if he takes anything more or less than exactly one pound of flesh?

Shylock shall have “nothing but the penalty” — “just a pound of flesh” — no more, no less. And if he takes even “in the estimation of a hair” more than a pound of flesh, he will die and all his goods will be confiscated.

Does Shylock get his pound of flesh?

Portia pleads for Shylock to have mercy on Antonio. Bassanio offers his wife’s money, which would more than pay the debt, but Shylock refuses to accept. Antonio’s death is only prevented as Balthazar explains the bond is for flesh but not for a single drop of blood. So Shylock cannot collect the pound of flesh.

How cruel Shylock was to demand his pound of flesh begin it was cruel?

Answer: It was cruel for Shylock to demand a pound of flesh from Antonio. Explanation: Here the word ‘it’ is used as a pronoun and is treated as a third-person singular number.

Why does Shylock say the pound of flesh is dearly bought?

Why does Shylock say that the pound of flesh “is dearly bought”? Answer: Shylock had given Antonio a loan of three thousand ducats which Antonio has failed to repay within the prescribed period of time. As Antonio has forfeited the bond which he had signed, Shylock is now entitled to a pound of Antonio’s flesh.

What is Antonio’s attitude to the forfeiture of one pound of flesh?

Assuring Antonio that he means to be friends, Shylock offers to make the loan without interest. Instead, he suggests, seemingly in jest, that Antonio forfeit a pound of his own flesh should the loan not be repaid in due time.

What do Portia and Nerissa disguise themselves as?

Portia and Nerissa go to Venice disguised as a lawyer and clerk. In the courtroom, the Duke asks Shylock to show some compassion and Bassanio offers 6000 ducats to repay Antonio’s loan. Portia appears, disguised as Balthazar.

Creditors who insist on having their “pound of flesh” are those who cruelly demand the repayment of a debt, no matter how much suffering it will cost the debtor: “The bank will have its pound of flesh; it is going to foreclose on our mortgage and force us to sell our home.” The expression is from The Merchant of Venice …

What is the meaning of your pound of flesh?

something that someone owes you that you take even though it will cause them to suffer. have/get/want/demand etc your pound of flesh: They signed an agreement and the Republicans now want their pound of flesh.

When did pound of flesh originate?

1596
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.

Who wanted a pound of flesh?

Who said I want my pound of flesh?

This phrase comes from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, in which the moneylender Shylock demanded a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body if he could not pay back the money he borrowed.

Where does the phrase take a pound of flesh come from?

pound of flesh. (redirected from take a pound of flesh) A debt or punishment, especially a cruel or unreasonable one, that is harshly insisted upon. An allusion to Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, in which the moneylender Shylock demands he be paid the pound of flesh promised as collateral for a loan.

What does’a pound of flesh’mean in The Wizard of Oz?

If the loan is not repaid in time, the contract says that Shylock may take a pound of Antonio’s flesh from any part of his body Shylock chooses. In a figurative sense, then, “a pound of flesh” can be used to describe payment which is excessive or cruel.

What does the pound of flesh mean in Hamlet?

“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 Shylock demands a literal pound of flesh as security when the merchant Antonio comes to borrow money for a friend [ see BATED BREATH].

What does a pound of flesh mean in The Merchant of Venice?

The words expressly are ‘a pound of flesh.’ “ ( Merchant of Venice. ,Act-IV, Scene-I, Lines 295-303) Antonio cannot pay back Shylock’s money and the usurer demands his flesh as a fine. Shylock could be demonic.

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