These
griefs and losses have so bated me,
That
I shall hardly spare a pound of flesh
To-morrow
to my bloody creditor.--
-Antonio
The Merchant Of Venice Act III scene iii, line 33
Today’s line has in it a mention of the famous ‘pound of
flesh’. Of course, this is Shylock’s payment for Antonio having forfeited on
the loan. It’s such a well-known term that it can be used today to refer to
anything that is considered extreme in payment. I’m trying to think of an
example, but I’m coming up blank. Maybe you can think of one?
By the way, in this context ‘bated’ means diminished and
‘spare’ to be stingy about. Antonio is saying that he’s so overcome at this
point that he won’t care about giving up the pound of flesh. He says that now.
Wait until tomorrow when Shylock shows up with the knife.
Do you suppose Shylock's knife looked anything like this?
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