Eternal bonds, true contracts
Subtitle: law and nature in Shakespeare's problem plays
By: A.G. Harmon.
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Albany
Language: eng
Number of pages: 195
Subjects: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Tragicomedies.; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Knowledge -- Natural history.; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Knowledge -- Law.; Tragicomedy -- History and criticism.; Nature in literature.; Law in literature.
Description: "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. 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."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 185-190) and index.