1. shylock - Noun
2. shylock - Verb
3. Shylock - Proper noun
someone who lends money at excessive rates of interest
a merciless usurer in a play by Shakespeare
Source: WordNetIn Shakespeare, unique individuals repudiate the stereotypes demanded by the structure of the play: Shylock commands our sympathy, Barnardine refuses to be hanged. Individuals trump the category. Iain McGilchrist
Antonio agrees, but since he is cash-poor – his ships and merchandise are busy at sea – he promises to cover a bond if Bassanio can find a lender, so Bassanio turns to the Jewish moneylender Shylock and names Antonio as the loan's guarantor. Source: Internet
At Antonio's request, the Duke grants remission of the state's half of forfeiture, but on the condition that Shylock convert to Christianity and bequeath his entire estate to Lorenzo and Jessica (IV,i). Source: Internet
As the court grants Shylock his bond and Antonio prepares for Shylock's knife, Portia deftly appropriates Shylock's argument for "specific performance". Source: Internet
Bloom (2007), p. 233. In the trial Shylock represents what Elizabethan Christians believed to be the Jewish desire for "justice", contrasted with their obviously superior Christian value of mercy. Source: Internet
Both Antonio and Shylock, agreeing to put Antonio's life at a forfeit, stand outside the normal bounds of society. Source: Internet