Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Shylock shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Shylock offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Shylock at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Shylock? Wrong! If the Shylock is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Shylock then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Shylock? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Shylock and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Shylock wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Shylock then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Shylock site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Shylock, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Shylock, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

(late 19th century)

Shylock is a central character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice who famously demanded a "pound of flesh" from the title character. His portrayal as the stereotype of a miserly money lending Jew may be demonstrative of the anti-Semitic sentiment prevalent at the time. The character's deprivation of dignity at the hands of the Christianity illustrates this division yet further.

Elements of the character There are elements of humanity in the character, most notably in his legendary "Hath not a Jew eyes" soliloquy, in which he argues his right to dignity and to revenge himself on the Christians who wrong him. This soliloquy is also often thought to be a breakdown of the division between Jews and Christians, both will seek revenge. In modern performances of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is often treated as a tragic figure, while Antonio is cast as more of a villain.

Not mentioned in the play (but well known to his first audiences) is that during Shakespeare's day, money lending was one of the few careers open to Jews, and Christians made deals with them daily, as the Old Testament condemns interest charges on loans to brethren (understood in principle for Christians as fellow Christians). In the 16th century, Christians regarded usury as a sin, though the practice doubtlessly occurred. However, Shylock's profession as a moneylender is still frequently used by critics to support claims of anti-Semitism in the play.

Some readers have come to Shakespeare's further defense on these charges of anti-Semitism leveled at his portrayal of Shylock. Reasons for this vary and include the breakdown of any division between the Christians and the Jews - verbalized by Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes..." speech in which he asserts that he is no different than a Christian and deserves revenge as much as they would have it. Also, the lack of mercy shown by the Christians at the end of the play points to hypocrisy on their part. Some scholars also suggest that Shylock is repeatedly shown to have human qualities and that he becomes a sympathetic character, particularly when he is told about Jessica's betrayal and the loss of his (deceased) wife's ring. Some have also claimed that the forced conversion is an attempt by Shakespeare to create a "happy ending", Shylock's soul is saved and in turn the Christians have served God.

Of particular note is that Jews were almost universally detested by Christian nations in the 16th Century, and England had expelled all Jews some 300 years prior to Shakespeare's time. Much of what remained of them were tales fraught with anti-Jewish sentiments ranging from exaggeration to outright lies, which depicted them as vile and despicable. Despite Shakespeare's upbringing in such an environment, he still managed to portray Shylock as a human being, something impossible to say about Barabas the Jew, the title character in Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta, written only a few years before A Merchant of Venice. Taking into account the political climate of the age, Shakespeare appears to have been very much ahead of his time.

(late 19th century)

Notable portrayals Notable actors who have portrayed Shylock include Richard Burbage and William Kempe 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, Lucille La Verne in 1929, John Gielgud in 1937, Laurence Olivier in a 1973 TV movie, Al Pacino in a The Merchant of Venice (2004 film) version. and F. Murray Abraham at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2006.

"Shylocking" The character's name has entered the language as a synonym for loan shark, and as a verb: to wiktionary:shylock is to moneylending at exorbitant interest rate. The main character in the films Get Shorty and Be Cool, Chili Palmer (played by John Travolta), is repeatedly referred to as a shylock. What's more, in Get Shorty, Danny DeVito's character, "Martin", references the distinction by saying, "I'm doing Shylock instead of a shylock," when he was asked to act as Chili Palmer.http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Get-Shorty.html "Pound of flesh" has also entered the lexicon as slang for particularly brutal revenge. In the movie American History X, Edward Norton uses the term Shylock to deride a Jewish man whom he suspects of sleeping with his mother, exclaiming, "I will fucking cut your Shylock nose off and stick it up your ass before I let that happen!" Several characters in The Sopranos use the terms "shy" and "shylock" to describe their loan shark business throughout the series.

Notes It is of interest that William Shakespeare in all probability had never actually met a Jew in his lifetime - at least, not a Jew who admitted to his or her own Judaism. The History of the Jews in England were expelled on July 18, 1290, on decree of Edward I of England and were only officially re-admitted by Oliver Cromwell in the year 1656, forty years after Shakespeare's death. Although a small number of Jews did remain, they were forced to Crypto-Judaism. However, the rings of the play are frequently cited by scholars as a reference to the current events surrounding the Queen and her doctor Rodrigo Lopez, an alleged Jew executed for treason.

Edward Einhorn's absurdist comedy A Shylock, appearing in his book of plays entitled The Golem, Methuselah, and Shylock, gives another perspective on Shylock. In it, a modern day professor visits Venice, looking for Shylock. Everywhere he goes he gets another description of the famous Jew, each description matching one of the many interpretations the Merchant of Venice has received, ranging from anti-Semitic to Freudian to Marxist.

References

Further reading

• John Gross, Shylock: A Legend and Its Legacy. Touchstone: 1994. ISBN 0-671-88386-0.
• Kenneth Gross, Shylock Is Shakespeare. University of Chicago Press: 2006. ISBN 0-226-30977-0.
• James Shapiro, Shakespeare and the Jews. Columbia University Press: 1997. ISBN 0-231-10345-X.
• Joseph Shatzmiller, Shylock Reconsidered: Jews, Moneylending, and Medieval Society. University of California Press: 1990. ISBN 0-520-06635-9.
• Martin Yaffe, Shylock and the Jewish Question. Johns Hopkins University Press: 1997. ISBN 0-8018-5648-5.
• M.G. Vassanji, The In-Between World of Vikram Lall. Doubleday Canada: 2003. ISBN 0-385-65990-3.

(late 19th century)

Shylock is a central character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice who famously demanded a "pound of flesh" from the title character. His portrayal as the stereotype of a miserly money lending Jew may be demonstrative of the anti-Semitic sentiment prevalent at the time. The character's deprivation of dignity at the hands of the Christianity illustrates this division yet further.

Elements of the character There are elements of humanity in the character, most notably in his legendary "Hath not a Jew eyes" soliloquy, in which he argues his right to dignity and to revenge himself on the Christians who wrong him. This soliloquy is also often thought to be a breakdown of the division between Jews and Christians, both will seek revenge. In modern performances of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is often treated as a tragic figure, while Antonio is cast as more of a villain.

Not mentioned in the play (but well known to his first audiences) is that during Shakespeare's day, money lending was one of the few careers open to Jews, and Christians made deals with them daily, as the Old Testament condemns interest charges on loans to brethren (understood in principle for Christians as fellow Christians). In the 16th century, Christians regarded usury as a sin, though the practice doubtlessly occurred. However, Shylock's profession as a moneylender is still frequently used by critics to support claims of anti-Semitism in the play.

Some readers have come to Shakespeare's further defense on these charges of anti-Semitism leveled at his portrayal of Shylock. Reasons for this vary and include the breakdown of any division between the Christians and the Jews - verbalized by Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes..." speech in which he asserts that he is no different than a Christian and deserves revenge as much as they would have it. Also, the lack of mercy shown by the Christians at the end of the play points to hypocrisy on their part. Some scholars also suggest that Shylock is repeatedly shown to have human qualities and that he becomes a sympathetic character, particularly when he is told about Jessica's betrayal and the loss of his (deceased) wife's ring. Some have also claimed that the forced conversion is an attempt by Shakespeare to create a "happy ending", Shylock's soul is saved and in turn the Christians have served God.

Of particular note is that Jews were almost universally detested by Christian nations in the 16th Century, and England had expelled all Jews some 300 years prior to Shakespeare's time. Much of what remained of them were tales fraught with anti-Jewish sentiments ranging from exaggeration to outright lies, which depicted them as vile and despicable. Despite Shakespeare's upbringing in such an environment, he still managed to portray Shylock as a human being, something impossible to say about Barabas the Jew, the title character in Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta, written only a few years before A Merchant of Venice. Taking into account the political climate of the age, Shakespeare appears to have been very much ahead of his time.

(late 19th century)

Notable portrayals Notable actors who have portrayed Shylock include Richard Burbage and William Kempe 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, Lucille La Verne in 1929, John Gielgud in 1937, Laurence Olivier in a 1973 TV movie, Al Pacino in a The Merchant of Venice (2004 film) version. and F. Murray Abraham at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2006.

"Shylocking" The character's name has entered the language as a synonym for loan shark, and as a verb: to wiktionary:shylock is to moneylending at exorbitant interest rate. The main character in the films Get Shorty and Be Cool, Chili Palmer (played by John Travolta), is repeatedly referred to as a shylock. What's more, in Get Shorty, Danny DeVito's character, "Martin", references the distinction by saying, "I'm doing Shylock instead of a shylock," when he was asked to act as Chili Palmer.http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Get-Shorty.html "Pound of flesh" has also entered the lexicon as slang for particularly brutal revenge. In the movie American History X, Edward Norton uses the term Shylock to deride a Jewish man whom he suspects of sleeping with his mother, exclaiming, "I will fucking cut your Shylock nose off and stick it up your ass before I let that happen!" Several characters in The Sopranos use the terms "shy" and "shylock" to describe their loan shark business throughout the series.

Notes It is of interest that William Shakespeare in all probability had never actually met a Jew in his lifetime - at least, not a Jew who admitted to his or her own Judaism. The History of the Jews in England were expelled on July 18, 1290, on decree of Edward I of England and were only officially re-admitted by Oliver Cromwell in the year 1656, forty years after Shakespeare's death. Although a small number of Jews did remain, they were forced to Crypto-Judaism. However, the rings of the play are frequently cited by scholars as a reference to the current events surrounding the Queen and her doctor Rodrigo Lopez, an alleged Jew executed for treason.

Edward Einhorn's absurdist comedy A Shylock, appearing in his book of plays entitled The Golem, Methuselah, and Shylock, gives another perspective on Shylock. In it, a modern day professor visits Venice, looking for Shylock. Everywhere he goes he gets another description of the famous Jew, each description matching one of the many interpretations the Merchant of Venice has received, ranging from anti-Semitic to Freudian to Marxist.

References

Further reading

• John Gross, Shylock: A Legend and Its Legacy. Touchstone: 1994. ISBN 0-671-88386-0.
• Kenneth Gross, Shylock Is Shakespeare. University of Chicago Press: 2006. ISBN 0-226-30977-0.
• James Shapiro, Shakespeare and the Jews. Columbia University Press: 1997. ISBN 0-231-10345-X.
• Joseph Shatzmiller, Shylock Reconsidered: Jews, Moneylending, and Medieval Society. University of California Press: 1990. ISBN 0-520-06635-9.
• Martin Yaffe, Shylock and the Jewish Question. Johns Hopkins University Press: 1997. ISBN 0-8018-5648-5.
• M.G. Vassanji, The In-Between World of Vikram Lall. Doubleday Canada: 2003. ISBN 0-385-65990-3.

Shylock
Shylock gets what he deserves in The Merchant of Venice. Discuss. In Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice. Shylock, a wealthy Jew is one of the main characters

Shylock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shylock is a central character in Shakespeare 's The Merchant of Venice who famously demanded a pound of flesh from the title character.

shylock - Wiktionary
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

"Shylock in Germany" - W. Beatty-Kingston (MERCHANT OF VENICE)
By W. Beatty-Kingston. Published in "The Theatre" in two parts: January and February 1880.

Shylock boycott sends school down league - Telegraph
A Jewish school plummeted down the national league table after pupils refused to answer questions on Shakespeare because they believe he was anti-Semitic.

shylock - definition of shylock by the Free Online Dictionary ...
A ruthless moneylender; a loan shark. intr.v. shy·locked, shy·lock·ing, shy·locks

Kevington Building Products - Shylock Style Chimney
Kevington are the UK`s largest brick cutters and offer a specialist brick cutting service which includes the Faststack Prefabricated Chimney System, and bespoke chimney stack ...

BBC - Radio 3 - Drama on 3 - Shylock, by Arnold Wesker
By Arnold Wesker. A new perspective on an age-old story by one of the foremost playwrights of his generation. Shylock's close friend Antonio needs a loan, but 16th century ...

Benington Lordship Gardens - Shylock
Shylock. The statue originally called Shylock stood in the centre of a Yew hedged lawn is now thought to have been "Pantalone", a name referring to the breeches he wears and the ...

The Merchant of Venice
In Venice, Bassanio tries to borrow money from Shylock. Shylock lends Bassanio the money, but tells the audience that he hates Antonio and will harm him if he can!