who were Jacob and Laban why does their name come in Shylock speech merchant of Venice
Answers
Explanation:
Shylock tells the story of Laban agreeing to allow Jacob all the spotted lambs in the flock. Knowing that a mother's lambs will look like whatever the mother looks at before she conceives, Jacob contrives to strip pieces of wood so that they are two-toned. He then puts them in front of the ewes. The ewes give birth to lots of spotted or multi-colored lambs, and Jacob profits.
To Shylock this is what interest is: simply acting shrewdly and using what you know to multiply your profits. Since this story comes from the Bible, Shylock implies it means we are all to act with similar foresight to maximize our wealth. Antonio disagrees, saying the abundance of spotted lambs had nothing to do with what Jacob did, but was simply an act of God. Shylock believes people have to be participants in their own wealth building; Antonio thinks wealth comes from God alone.