Shylock

[shahy-lok]

noun

1. a relentless and revengeful moneylender in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.

2. a hard-hearted moneylender.

verb (used without object)

1. (lowercase),  to lend money at extortionate rates of interest.

Shylock

/ ˈʃaɪˌlɒk /

noun

1. a heartless or demanding creditor

Shylock

1. The merciless moneylender in The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare. He demands a pound of flesh (see also pound of flesh) from the title character of the play after the merchant defaults on his debt.

Shylock is a Jew (see also Jews), and there has long been controversy over whether Shakespeare's portrayal of Shylock contributes to prejudice against Jews. Shylock is a cruel miser and eventually is heavily fined and disgraced, but he maintains his dignity. At one point in the play, he makes a famous, eloquent assertion that his desire for revenge is the same desire that a Christian would feel in his place. “I am a Jew,” says Shylock. “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?”

Other Word Forms

• Shylockian adjective
• Shylocky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Shylock¹

C19: after Shylock, the name of the heartless usurer in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (1596)

Example Sentences

He also found success as a director on productions of Shylock, JM Barrie and The Life And Loves Of Edith Wharton, all of which toured internationally.

From BBC

The term ‘Shylock’ evokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope about Jews and greed that is extremely offensive and dangerous.

From Salon

He played Shylock in a 2005 production of “The Merchant of Venice” and Gremio in “The Taming of the Shrew,” among many other roles.

From Seattle Times

What a powerful time, then, to encounter Shakespeare’s Shylock in Patrick Page’s solo-show investigation of evil, “All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain.”

From New York Times

Bell said the cartoon was spiked after a phone call from the paper suggested it may reference Shakespeare's Shylock's "pound of flesh" line.

From BBC

Related Words

• bank 
• banker