- In soothphraseChapter 1 →
An old-fashioned expression meaning 'in truth' or 'truly,' used to stress that the speaker is being completely honest or sincere.
“In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.”
- gratisadverbChapter 1 →
Without charging any payment; for free. Here it describes lending money without interest, which undercuts the moneylending business.
“He lends out money gratis, and brings down / The rate of usance here with us in Venice.”
- usancenounChapter 1 →
The practice of charging interest on a loan; the going rate of interest in a particular place and time.
“He lends out money gratis, and brings down / The rate of usance here with us in Venice.”
- ducatsnounChapter 1 →
Gold coins widely used as currency across Europe during the Renaissance, here representing Shylock's wealth and the sum of the loan.
“My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! / Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats!”
- low simplicityphraseChapter 1 →
Foolish, naive generosity lacking worldly wisdom; Shylock uses the phrase to mock Antonio for lending money without interest as if it were a virtue.
“But more, for that in low simplicity / He lends out money gratis, and brings down / The rate of usance here with us in Venice.”
- goodlyadjectiveChapter 2 →
Attractive and impressive in appearance; here used ironically to point out that a pleasing exterior can conceal dishonesty or deceit.
“O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!”
- folliesnounChapter 2 →
Foolish or silly actions and mistakes, especially ones a person commits without realising how ridiculous they look to others.
“But love is blind, and lovers cannot see / The pretty follies that themselves commit.”
- dimensionsnounChapter 3 →
Physical size and bodily form; in this context it refers to the human body's shape and proportions as proof of shared humanity.
“Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?”
- affectionsnounChapter 3 →
Feelings, emotions, and natural desires that all human beings experience; used here to argue that Jews feel the same things as Christians.
“Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?”
- strainedadjectiveChapter 3 →
Forced or compelled; 'not strained' means mercy cannot be extracted by pressure or obligation — it must be given freely and naturally.
“The quality of mercy is not strained; it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.”
- presageverbChapter 3 →
To be a sign or warning of something bad that is about to happen; to foreshadow or foretell a future event.
“I give them with this ring, which when you part from, lose, or give away, let it presage the ruin of your love.”
- bondnounChapter 1 →
A legally binding written agreement that sets out what one party owes another and the penalty for failing to pay; here, the contract that stakes a pound of flesh.
- pound of fleshphraseChapter 1 →
The exact and brutal penalty written into Shylock's contract: one pound cut from Antonio's body, used throughout the play to represent a merciless, literal enforcement of a legal agreement.
- DanielnounChapter 4 →
A reference to the biblical prophet Daniel, famous for his extraordinary wisdom in judging difficult legal cases; Shylock uses it to praise the disguised Portia's sharp legal reasoning.
“A Daniel come to judgement! Yea, a Daniel! / O wise young judge, how I do honour thee!”
- deednounChapter 4 →
A formal legal document that transfers property or records an agreement; here it is the written instrument Shylock must sign to hand over his estate.
“I am not well. Send the deed after me, / And I will sign it.”
- forfeitedverbChapter 4 →
Lost or surrendered as a legal penalty; when property is forfeited, the owner is forced to give it up because they broke a law or the terms of an agreement.
- naughtyadjectiveChapter 5 →
Wicked, corrupt, or morally bad — a much stronger meaning than the modern sense of mildly misbehaving; here it describes a world full of evil and wrongdoing.
“How far that little candle throws his beams! / So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”
- hathverbChapter 3 →
An archaic third-person singular form of 'has,' used throughout the play wherever modern English would say 'he has,' 'she has,' or 'it has.'
“Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?”
- whereofadverbChapter 1 →
An archaic word meaning 'of which' or 'from what'; used here to ask what source or origin a thing comes from.
“What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born, / I am to learn.”
- I am to learnphraseChapter 1 →
An archaic construction meaning 'I have yet to find out' or 'I still don't know'; it expresses that something remains unknown or unexplained to the speaker.
“What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born, / I am to learn.”
- methinksverbChapter 5 →
An archaic expression meaning 'it seems to me' or 'I think'; the speaker uses it to introduce a personal impression or recollection.
“Troilus methinks mounted the Trojan walls…”
- qualitynounChapter 3 →
The essential nature or character of something; here 'the quality of mercy' means what mercy truly is and how it naturally behaves, not its degree or amount.
“The quality of mercy is not strained; it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.”
The Merchant of VenicePlay by William Shakespeare