Francis Bacon's Hidden Hand in Shakespeare's the Merchant of Venice : A Study of Law, Rhetoric, and Authorship.

Intro -- _GoBack -- Preface -- Foreword -- Table of Abbreviations/Explanation of Terms -- Chapter One: Challenging Our Assumptions -- Does the Play Offend? -- Did the Play Influence the Results in 1616? -- Law in Shakespeare as Probative Evidence of Authorship -- Chapter Two. Bellario as a Cameo: Clues -- Bacon as a "Lucretian" Poet, Conveying Scientia (Knowledge) -- Drama as a Tool for Influence -- Francis Bacon, a Brief Resume -- Francis Bacon, Reformer -- Francis Bacon, "Closet" Civilian -- Sir Thomas Gresham, Royal Merchant -- Chapter Three. Trifles and Devils: Literary Precedents -- Roots of Play in Law and Culture -- Devils -- Influence of Aristophanes and Saturnalian Release -- Trifles -- The Goliardi -- Simon de Montfort, the Fifth Earl of Leicester -- Chapter Four. Two Mentes in One -- Language Doubling (i.e., Saying Things Twice) -- Coined Words -- The Promus -- Spanish Proverbs -- Counter-Argument -- Chapter Five. A Good Pseudonym Is Hard to Prove -- Chez sphere or eschec esperer -- York House or York Place? -- Valerius Terminus -- Henry Cuffe -- "the Earl of Essex his Bee" -- Labeo -- Name of the World -- Fool's Cap Map -- "Felix and the Spider" -- Chapter Six. A Law Professor by Any Other Name.... -- Background -- Fast Forward to ca. 1597 -- The Education of an Elizabethan Law Student -- Francis Bacon as a Law Instructor -- The Author of Merchant and Law of a Higher Order -- Technology v. Memory Like -- Chapter Seven. Law School Hypothetical -- Some Background on Chancery -- The Jews -- Jurisdiction: Getting into an English Court of Law, ca. 1597 -- Other "Considerations" -- Custom and Usage -- Inadequate Remedy at Law -- Uses and Trusts -- Chapter Eight. Characters, Counterparts, and Others - Part I -- Portia -- Balthasar/Daniel -- Tubal -- John Selden -- Shylock -- Jessica -- Michel de Castelnau -- Solanio.

Launcelot Gobbo and Old Gobbo -- Chapter Nine. Characters, Counterparts, and Others - Part II -- Bassanio -- A Closer Look at Portia -- Nerissa -- Gratiano -- Accursius -- Stephano -- Lorenzo -- Carmagnola -- Leonardo -- Chapter Ten. Characters, Counterparts, and Others - Part III -- Chapter Eleven. Glosses, Glanvill, and Pre-Gratian Marriage Law -- The Use of "Gloss" in Bacon and Shakespeare -- Pre-Gratian Marriage Law, Briefly Touched Upon -- Portia's Ring, Marital Debt, and Drama -- Chapter Twelve. "For there is no law under heaven..." -- Chapter Thirteen. Semi-Final Arguments -- Chapter Fourteen. Encore -- Appendix I. Musings on the Name Bellario -- Appendix II. The Tragedy of Anne Boleyn -- Counterargument -- Reply -- Appendix III. "Just Deserts" or "Just Desserts"? -- Appendix IV. Handwriting on the Wall -- Discussion -- Evidence -- Bibliography -- Index -- _GoBack.

Fans of Shakespeare have long been struck by Portia's impassioned plea for mercy and by the sophisticated lawyerly twists of the trial of Antonio v. Shylock in the Shakespeare play The Merchant of Venice. Christina Waldman, JD, shows how the scene shifts from a "law court" to "chancery court," presaging the evolution of the English legal system, and she brings in a wealth of references to writers who have examined this play and related questions. Her own research has turned up countless suggestive examples of word-play along with intriguing possible historical precedents for names and symbols used in the drama, adding layers of appreciation and pleasure to the reading.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.