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Pound of flesh

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helenpilcher | 15:21 Thu 20th Sep 2001 | Phrases & Sayings
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What does 'a pound of flesh' refer to?
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This means taking everything that one is entitled to - whether reasonable or not. It comes from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, in which Shylock insists that the merchant, Antonio, should give to him a pound of flesh even if he dies in the process.
15:33 Thu 20th Sep 2001
Avatar Image andy hughes
The clever payoff at the end of The Merchant Of Venice reveals that although Shylock can take his 'pound of flesh', he is not entitled to one drop of Antonio's blood, and since it's impossible to extract one without the other, the Merchant lives on.
21:04 Fri 21st Sep 2001

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