Shylock is a fictional character in William Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice (c. 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play’s principal antagonist. His defeat and conversion to Christianity form the climax of the story.

Some common synonyms of worry are annoy, harass, harry, pester, plague, and tease. While all these words mean “to disturb or irritate by persistent acts,” worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation. However, some scholars believe it probably derives from the biblical name Shalah, which is שלח (Šélaḥ) in Hebrew. Shalah is the grandson of Shem and the father of Eber, biblical progenitor of Hebrew peoples. All the names of Jewish characters in the play derive from minor figures listed in genealogies in the Book of Genesis. It is possible that Shakespeare originally intended the name to be pronounced with a short “i”, rather than a long one.

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If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? The villainy you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. Shylock’s characterisation is composed of stereotypes, for instance greediness and vengefulness, although there were no practising Jews who lived in England during Shakespeare’s time.

The Shylocks of sixteenth-century London included “goldsmiths, mercers, and, most visibly of all, scriveners”,[2] according to prominent scholar Stephen Orgel, a Stanford professor who serves (with A. R. Braunmuller) as general editor of The Pelican Shakespeare series from Penguin. 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. This decision is fuelled by his sense of revenge, for Antonio had previously insulted, physically assaulted and spat on him in the Rialto (stock exchange of Venice) dozens of times, defiled the “sacred” Jewish religion and had also inflicted massive financial losses on him. Meanwhile, Shylock’s daughter, Jessica, falls in love with Antonio’s friend Lorenzo and converts to Christianity, leaves Shylock’s house and steals vast riches from him, which add to Shylock’s rage and harden his resolve for revenge. In the end – due to the efforts of Antonio’s well-wisher, Portia – Shylock is charged with attempted murder of a Christian, carrying a possible death penalty, and Antonio is freed without punishment.

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Since Shakespeare’s time, the character’s name has become a synonym for loan shark, and as a verb to shylock means to lend money at exorbitant rates. In addition, the phrase “pound of flesh” has also entered the lexicon as slang for a particularly onerous or unpleasant obligation. In Shakespeare’s time, no Jews had been legally present in England for several hundred years (since the Edict of Expulsion in 1290). However, stereotypes of Jews as money lenders remained from the Middle Ages.

[‘ˈkrɛdətɝ, ˈkrɛdɪtɝ’] a person to whom money is owed by a debtor; someone to whom an obligation exists. Related words are words that are directly connected to each CREDITOR Synonyms & Antonyms other through their meaning, even if they are not synonyms or antonyms. This connection may be general or specific, or the words may appear frequently together.

See words related to go/put out of business

Shylock is then ordered to surrender half of his wealth and property to the state and the other half to Antonio. However, as an act of “mercy”, Antonio modifies the verdict, asking Shylock to hand over only one-half of his wealth – to him (Antonio) for his own as well as Lorenzo’s need – provided that he keeps two promises. First, Shylock has to sign an agreement bequeathing all his remaining property to Lorenzo and Jessica, which is to become effective after his demise, and second, he is to immediately convert to Christianity. Shylock is forced to agree to these terms, and he exits citing illness.

• Shylock is a Jew who lends money to his Christian rival Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio’s flesh.
• While the synonyms harry and worry are close in meaning, harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.
• Under Nazi rule in 1943, the Vienna Burgtheater presented a notoriously extreme production of The Merchant of Venice with Werner Krauss as an evil Shylock.
• Shylock’s characterisation is composed of stereotypes, for instance greediness and vengefulness, although there were no practising Jews who lived in England during Shakespeare’s time.
• The words pester and worry can be used in similar contexts, but pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.
• Notable actors who have portrayed Shylock include Richard Burbage in the 16th century, Charles Macklin in 1741, Edmund Kean in 1814, William Charles Macready in 1840, Edwin Booth in 1861, Henry Irving in 1880, George Arliss in 1928, and John Gielgud in 1937.

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. The award-winning monologue Shylock (1996) by Canadian playwright Mark Leiren-Young, focuses on a Jewish actor named Jon Davies, who is featured as Shylock in a production of The Merchant of Venice.[14] Jon addresses his audience at a “talk back” session, after the play is closed abruptly due to controversy over the play’s alleged antisemitism. Davies is portrayed both in and out of character, presenting and stripping down the layers between character and actor. Composed in one 80-minute act, it premiered at Bard on the Beach on 5 August 1996, where it was directed by John Juliani and starred popular Canadian radio host, David Berner. Its American debut was in 1998 at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre where it was directed by Deborah Block, starred William Leach and was “Barrymore Recommended”.

Shylock on stage

Although the words plague and worry have much in common, plague implies a painful and persistent affliction. The meanings of harass and worry largely overlap; however, harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one’s nervous or mental power. With the prejudices of the day against Jews, atheists and non-Christians in general, Jews found it hard to fit in with society. Some say that these attitudes provided the foundations of anti-semitism in the 20th century. St. John Ervine’s play The Lady of Belmont (1924) is a sequel to The Merchant of Venice where the characters meet again some years later. All of the marriages that ended The Merchant of Venice are unhappy, Antonio is an obsessive bore reminiscing about his escape from death, but Shylock, freed from religious prejudice, is richer than before and a close friend and confidant of the Doge.

Jews were expelled from the country in 1290 by Edward I in the Edict of Expulsion; this was not reversed until the Cromwell Era. In some situations, the words tease and worry are roughly equivalent. However, tease suggests an attempt to break down one’s resistance or rouse to wrath. We’re doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we’ll take care of it shortly.