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Shakespeare and lawyers

 


Instead of working on today's blogpost, I'll simply use something I've already written. It appears in Quora, where one poster asks, "What are some famous writers who have had a negative view of lawyers, like Shakespeare did?" 

Well ... "as" would work better than "like" there. But that was not the big problem. The problem was ... Shakespeare didn't. So far as we know. This is what I wrote in response to that poster:

So far as I know, Shakespeare did NOT have a negative view of lawyers. He does have a character in one play say “First thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” But that character is a member of an unruly mob. The Bard clearly did not mean for us to sympathize with the statement.

Many writers do have negative views of lawyers. It should not be too difficult for you to find real examples. I suggest you leave Shakespeare out of it.


Guess I told HIM.

I was about to go on and discuss an equally famous Dickens line, but that might have been gilding the lilly. 
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Comments

  1. Paul D. Van PeltMay 4, 2023 at 9:03 AM

    During a long career, which involved administrative and paralegal work, I developed a cautious respect for lawyers. In an occasional role as law judge, I had access to those who had also filled such robes. Their advice was helpful and I learned a lot. About the cautious piece: some of my friend's advisories were not sound. So, I had to parse their recommendations, uh, judiciously. Another feature of learning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ChristopherMay 4, 2023 at 11:17 AM

      Yes, lawyers are made of common human clay. For better and for worse.

      Delete

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