Ironically, at a time when more people than ever hire lawyers, few want to defend them. Daniel Kornstein, a practising attorney, finds in Shakespeare's drama the way toward a new respect for the profession and its place in contemporary society. Two-thirds of Shakespeare's plays have trial scenes; many deal specifically with points of law and lawyers. Inspired by numerous performances of Shakespeare, Kornstein considers how legal themes relate to contemporary issues. By discussing the plays in light of contemporary legal cases, Kornstein provokes thought about how law and civil justice are woven into modern society, just as they are on Shakespeare's stage. In Shakespeare, as in no other playwright, law, civil society and humanity unite with dramatic and rhetorical brilliance. Kornstein shows how a reacquaintance with the master playwright may kindle enthusiasm for contemporary law.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Kornstein, a practicing lawyer, examines Shakespeare's frequent use of legal themes in light of contemporary legal issues. The result is an original, absorbing book that covers every conceivable legal nuance in the plays, from dead-letter statutes in Measure for Measure (likened to the recent activation of sodomy laws in Georgia), to executive pardons in Richard II (discussed in terms of pardons issued by presidents Ford and Bush). Interspersed with the topics one might expect-Julius Caesar and the tension in American law between executive and legislative bodies; Othello and laws of defamation-are some surprises. Who would have thought, for example, that A Midsummer Night's Dream might lend support to the "living document" interpretation of the U.S. Constitution? Kornstein also likes to have fun: he almost steps into The Merchant of Venice, imagining himself plotting an appeal strategy for the defeated Shylock (the trial was marked by "pervasive prejudice"). For academic libraries.
Bryan Aubrey, Fairfield, Ia.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Bryan Aubrey, Fairfield, Ia.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
“An analysis that will interest Shakespeare scholars, enrich the working life of practicing lawyers, and help the lay reader understand why he enjoys Shakespeare in the first place.”—Cardozo Studies in Law and Literature
(Cardozo Studies in Law and Literature )“Thorough and lucid.”—Times Literary Supplement
(Times Literary Supplement )“Exhaustive scholarship and searching thought.”—New York Law Journal
(New York Law Journal )“Kornstein’s style is always lucid and often witty.”—Renaissance Quarterly
(Renaissance Quarterly )“Highly recommended to all literate citizens, a genuine contribution to Shakespearean studies.”—Choice
(Choice )
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kornstein's approach is original and relevant.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Kill All the Lawyers? Shakespeare's Legal Appeal (Hardcover)
Though perhaps defensive about his title and possibly a little hard on Portia, Kornstein, in true attorney style, effectively demonstrates Shakespeare's interest in and knowledge of legal problems that still are of concern today. He makes the reader aware of Shakespeare's multi-faceted view of human nature--a characteristic easily overlooked in a superficial encounter. Weakest is his theory concerning Midsummer Night's Dream, strongest is his concluding chapter with its brilliant appreciation of Shakespeare. This is an author worth knowing, a book worth reading. --Margaret Demores
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Wrong Lawyer,
By
This review is from: Kill All the Lawyers? Shakespeare's Legal Appeal (Hardcover)
This is an exceptional book that should be read by any serious student of Shakespeare. It provides an insightful look at Shakespeare's legal knowledge and insightful looks at how Shakespeare saw the larger issues of truth, justice, law and equity in the dramas. His analysis of the Merchant of Venice is especially pithy and noteworthy.The major fault of the book is Kornstein has the wrong man as the author. His attempts to explain how the man from Stratford acquired this deep, profound and technial legal knowledge are woefully inadequate. Kill All The Lawyers? maintains that the man from Stratford acquired his knowledge by hanging around the Courts of Law and in "Legal London" is woefully inadequate. I suppose by the same token, the author acquired his legal knowledge by hanging out in coffee shops in Harvard Square. Kornstein is aware that the legal knowledge of Shakespeare have been a long running dispute since the beginning of the Century. The case that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was a lawyer, sat in Parliament, sat as a juror in the trial of Mary Queen of Scots and sat as a judge in other civil matters is ignored by the Author as he seeks to avoid the entire Oxford vs. Shakspere contretemps. With this caveat aside, it is a book well worth reading. Paul Streitz Member Shakespeare Oxford Society
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