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A Thousand Times More Fair: What Shakespeare's Plays Teach Us About Justice by Kenji Yoshino
vasha's review
3.0
A charming exploration of Shakespeare's plays from the point of view of law and justice. Though the book is short on specific applications to today's events (which is not a fault in the book itself but rather in its marketing), Yoshino finds much to say on more general themes, and full of an appealing skepticism and passion and real moral thought.
alyssaarch's review
5.0
This is by far one of the best analyses of Shakespeare's works that I have ever read. While I have heard many critics applauding Shakespeare's thorough knowledge of the law, I have never read anything that actually goes through his works and analyzes the uses of trials, judging, and ruling. Instead of looking at Shakespeare through the lenses of deconstruction, gender, new criticism, new historicism, etc., Yoshino uses the lens of law and justice. Each chapter focuses on a certain aspect of law, using one play as the main reference. Through the use of present-day analogies, he shows us that society's concerns and ideals of justice haven't much changed since Shakespeare's time.
A Thousand Times More Fair is an incredibly relevant, enlightening look at Shakespeare's works. We deal with law and justice every day. Our sense of justice influences how we act in situations where we feel we've been wronged; the written law is a reflection of our sense of rights and morals; and judging is how we are able to ensure fairness in our society. By looking at how these things are portrayed in literature and our ancestors' thoughts on justice, the law, and judging, we can gain a better understanding of our society and ourselves. Yoshino helps us do just that.
Any fan of Shakespeare will enjoy this book, and I think those who are both familiar with Shakespeare's works and interested in law will also get a lot out of this. Literary criticism isn't for everyone, but for those who like getting different perspectives on what authors are trying to portray through their works, you will find Yoshino's take on Shakespeare very interesting.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
A Thousand Times More Fair is an incredibly relevant, enlightening look at Shakespeare's works. We deal with law and justice every day. Our sense of justice influences how we act in situations where we feel we've been wronged; the written law is a reflection of our sense of rights and morals; and judging is how we are able to ensure fairness in our society. By looking at how these things are portrayed in literature and our ancestors' thoughts on justice, the law, and judging, we can gain a better understanding of our society and ourselves. Yoshino helps us do just that.
Any fan of Shakespeare will enjoy this book, and I think those who are both familiar with Shakespeare's works and interested in law will also get a lot out of this. Literary criticism isn't for everyone, but for those who like getting different perspectives on what authors are trying to portray through their works, you will find Yoshino's take on Shakespeare very interesting.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
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