Eternal Bonds, True Contracts: Law and Nature in Shakespeare's Problem Plays

Első borító
State University of New York Press, 2012. febr. 1. - 203 oldal
In Eternal Bonds, True Contracts, A. G. Harmon closely analyzes Shakespeare's concentrated use of the law and its instruments in what have often been referred to as the problem plays: Measure for Measure, Troilus and Cressida, The Merchant of Venice, and All's Well That Ends Well. Contracts, bonds, sureties, wills—all ensure a changed relationship between parties, and in Shakespeare the terms are nearly always reserved for use in the contexts of marriage and fellowship. Harmon explores the theory and practice of contractual obligations in Renaissance England, especially those involving marriage and property, in order to identify contractual elements and their formation, execution, and breach in the plays. Using both legal and literary resources, Harmon reveals the larger significance of these contractual concepts by illustrating how Shakespeare develops them both dramatically and thematically. Harmon's study ultimately enables the reader to perceive not only these plays but also all of Shakespeare's writing—including his poetry—as integral with, and implicated in, the proliferating legalism that was helping to define early modern English culture.

Részletek a könyvből

Kiválasztott oldalak

Tartalomjegyzék

Law Nature and Shakespeare
1
The Contracts in Measure for Measure
25
The Mock Contract in Troilus and Cressida
55
Contracts Bonds and Sureties inThe Merchant of Venice
81
Contractual Performance in Alls Well That Ends Well
115
Beyond the Problem Plays
145
Notes
165
Works Cited
185
Index
191
Copyright

Más kiadások - Összes megtekintése

Gyakori szavak és kifejezések

A szerzőről (2012)

A. G. Harmon is Lecturer at the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America and the author of the novel A House All Stilled.

Bibliográfiai információk