Aloopholeis a means of escapinga difficulty, and the term is frequently applied to certain legal contracts where imprecise or ambiguous wording allows the terms of a contract to be broken or reinterpreted. Portia announces that Shylock “shall have all justice” (316). She is stating that Shylock has legally won the case and may take his pound of flesh from Antonio’s body. But then, as Shylock approaches Antonio with his knife, she tells him to wait and adds…
He shall have nothing but the penalty.(317)
Portia means that Shylock must follow the terms of the contract precisely. She explains about the wording of the legal document and certain conditions that Shylock must follow: