Have you heard any imputation to the contrary?
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
My reason in saying that he's a good man is to have you understand me that he is sufficient
3,000 ducats. I think I may take his bond
With any loan, things can go wrong
Ships can sink
And that is precisely why anyone who lends money to a merchant
if only for the duration of an ocean voyage, needs to be compensated.
We usually call the compensation interest, the amount paid to the lender over and above the sum lent or "principal"
Overseas trade of the sort that Venice depended on couldn't operate without such transactions
And they remain the foundation of international trade to this day
But why does Shylock turn out to be such a villain
demanding literally "a pound of flesh", in effect Antonio's death if he can't fulfill his obligations?
Why is Shakespeare's moneylender so heartless,
the original of that bloodsucking financier who recurs time and again in western literature?