The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 14.1815 Thursday, 18 September 2003
[1] From: Bill Arnold <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 07:39:51 -0700 (PDT)
Subj: Re: SHK 14.1804 "My crown ... and my queen" - Gertrude's
Adultery
[2] From: Larry Weiss <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 11:01:27 -0400
Subj: Re: SHK 14.1804 "My crown ... and my queen" - Gertrude's
Adultery
[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: Bill Arnold <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 07:39:51 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: 14.1804 "My crown ... and my queen" - Gertrude's
Comment: Re: SHK 14.1804 "My crown ... and my queen" - Gertrude's
Adultery
Robin Hamilton writes, "Impressed as I am by the scholarly citation of
the Leviticus/Deuteronomy texts, I think that this is essentially a
marginal issue. I'd be even more impressed if the KJV, not published
till 1611 and thus too late to provide material for either Henry's
divorce or the writing of /Hamlet/, wasn't cited by default. "Which
Bible?" isn't exactly a transparent issue, either with regard to the
period between 1450 and 1611 generally, or Shakespeare in particular."
Actually, it is quite transparent. I cited the KJV, inasmuch as the
text cited was not even close to the actual Bible often quoted by Will
S: the Geneva Bible, the Puritan or common Bible of the English commoner
as opposed to the Anglican Bishops Bible during the reign of Queen
Elizabeth I. The Geneva Bible was also referred to as the Breeches
Bible, so you may read of scholars who acknowledge it as Will S's Bible
of choice for the vast literary allusions by our playwright in his
myriad referential usages.
Shakespeare showed in his plays his incredible and erudite knowledge of
the Bible. Shakespearean scholar Richmond Noble in his book
*Shakespeare's Biblical Knowledge* documents circa 1300 Biblical
referents in the plays of Will Shakespeare and cites circa 130 from
Psalms and circa 40 from Job. Also, Shakespearean scholar Naseeb
Shaheen in three volumes of Biblical references in Shakespeare
documented that Will S made use in his writings via allusions and
citations to many Bibles, the Geneva, the Great, the Bishops, the
Matthew, the Coverdale and others, as well as *Cramer's Psalter* which
had variant Psalms and hymns known throughout England. Will S
demonstrated by his usage of these many different Bibles and Cramer's
*Book of Common Prayer* that he had an extensive knowledge and
familiarity with variant Biblical texts. However, scholarship does
acknowledge that the KJV on our library shelves, as a spin-off of the
*Breeches,* is a ready reference to Will S's Biblical references--and
does *just* fine.
Bill Arnold
http://www.cwru.edu/affil/edis/scholars/arnold.htm
[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From: Larry Weiss <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 11:01:27 -0400
Subject: 14.1804 "My crown ... and my queen" - Gertrude's
Comment: Re: SHK 14.1804 "My crown ... and my queen" - Gertrude's
Adultery
"Common law" may be defined with some accuracy as "the body of legal
principles of general applicability throughout an English speaking
jurisdiction which derives from judicial precedent rather than
legislative enactment." However, the term takes its precise meaning in
context from the body of rules with which it is being contrasted
(explicitly or by implication); for example: Common law as opposed to:
local law
custom
statutory law
civil law (i.e., the law of continental and other countries
which do not recognize precedent as having the force of law)
ecclesiastical law
international law
admiralty
equity
There are others.
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