In The Merchant Of Venice, What Does Shylock Mean When He Says, "If You Prick Us, Do We Not Bleed"?

This is part of a famous speech in Act III, where Shylock vows revenge on the Christian merchant, Antonio, who has repeatedly insulted his Judaism and his race. His hatred is increased because his daughter has just eloped with another Christian. The speech begins "Hath not a Jew eyes?" and through a series of rhetorical questions points out the similarity between all humans, who are "fed with the same food, hurt by the same weapons." The speech builds to a climax with "if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"
Tradition, and the anti-Semitic feelings which were commonly expressed at the time, dictated that Shylock should be the villain of the play, and in terms of the plot, he is; but through this and other passages Shakespeare gives him a tragic depth and stature that makes him, for most audiences, the central character, and one that many actors want to play.

When he says this he is trying to explain to Antonio that being a jew is no different from being a christan. Hes saying that they live and die the same. " if you prick us, DO we not bleed" basically means hes asking a rhetorical question ( meaning he doesn't wont it to be answered) saying all the sacrifices in the world should not discriminate the differences of religion because in the end they both react the same. If you prick a christan they bleed just as well as a jew.