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GCSE English Literature · key term
Wastefully extravagant, especially with money.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas
Paper 1
Revise: Act 2Before leaving for Bassanio’s supper, Shylock gives Jessica his keys. He distrusts the invitation, telling her, ‘But yet I'll go in hate, to feed upon / The prodigal Christian.’ He intends to consume the hospitality of Bassanio, whom he regards as wasteful.
Paper 1
Revise: Act 2“Prodigal” means wastefully extravagant. Shylock’s description links his religious hostility to his disapproval of Bassanio’s spending. “Feed upon” makes the meal sound almost like an act of aggression.
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Component 1
A person who spends money wastefully or extravagantly.
Revise: Act 2Shylock is reluctant to attend Bassanio’s supper. He suspects that the invitation is not affectionate, declaring, ‘But yet I’ll go in hate, to feed upon / The prodigal Christian’. ‘Prodigal’ criticises Bassanio’s extravagant spending, while ‘feed upon’ makes Shylock’s attendance sound hostile and exploitative rather than sociable.
