What do you think?
Rate this book
A Thousand Times More Fair: What Shakespeare's Plays Teach Us About Justice
“Fascinating....Loaded with perceptive and provocative comments on Shakespeare’s plots, characters, and contemporary analogs.”
—Justice John Paul Stevens, Supreme Court of the United States “Kenji Yoshino is the face and the voice of the new civil rights.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickled and Dimed A Thousand Times More Fair is a highly inventive and provocative exploration of ethics and the law that uses the plays of William Shakespeare as a prism through which to view the nature of justice in our contemporary lives. Celebrated law professor and author Kenji Yoshino delves into ten of the most important works of the Immortal Bard of Avon, offering prescient and thought-provoking discussions of lawyers, property rights, vengeance (legal and otherwise), and restitution that have tremendous significance to the defining events of our times—from the O.J. Simpson trial to Abu Ghraib. Anyone fascinated by important legal and social issues—as well as fans of Shakespeare-centered bestsellers like Will in the World —will find A Thousand Times More Fair an exceptionally rewarding reading experience.
—Justice John Paul Stevens, Supreme Court of the United States “Kenji Yoshino is the face and the voice of the new civil rights.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickled and Dimed A Thousand Times More Fair is a highly inventive and provocative exploration of ethics and the law that uses the plays of William Shakespeare as a prism through which to view the nature of justice in our contemporary lives. Celebrated law professor and author Kenji Yoshino delves into ten of the most important works of the Immortal Bard of Avon, offering prescient and thought-provoking discussions of lawyers, property rights, vengeance (legal and otherwise), and restitution that have tremendous significance to the defining events of our times—from the O.J. Simpson trial to Abu Ghraib. Anyone fascinated by important legal and social issues—as well as fans of Shakespeare-centered bestsellers like Will in the World —will find A Thousand Times More Fair an exceptionally rewarding reading experience.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2011
30 people are currently reading
408 people want to read
About the author
Kenji Yoshino
14 books80 followersKenji Yoshino is the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law. He was educated at Harvard (B.A. 1991), Oxford (M.Sc. 1993 as a Rhodes Scholar), and Yale Law School (J.D. 1996). He taught at Yale Law School from 1998 to 2008, where he served as Deputy Dean (2005-6) and became the inaugural Guido Calabresi Professor in 2006. His fields are constitutional law, anti-discrimination law, and law and literature. He has received several distinctions for his teaching, most recently the Podell Distinguished Teaching Award in 2014.
Yoshino is the author of three books—Speak Now: Marriage Equality on Trial (2015); A Thousand Times More Fair: What Shakespeare’s Plays Teach Us About Justice (2011); and Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights (2006). Yoshino has published in major academic journals, including The Harvard Law Review, The Stanford Law Review, and The Yale Law Journal. He has also written for more popular forums, including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Yoshino makes regular appearances on radio and television programs, such as NPR, CNN, PBS and MSNBC. In 2015, he became a regular contributor to the New York Times Magazine’s podcast and column “The Ethicists.”
In 2011, he was elected to the Harvard Board of Overseers for a six-year term. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Talent Innovation, the Board of the Brennan Center for Justice, the External Advisory Panel for Diversity and Inclusion for the World Bank Group, the Global Advisory Board for Out Leadership, and the Inclusion External Advisory Council for Deloitte.
He lives in New York City with his husband and two children.
Yoshino is the author of three books—Speak Now: Marriage Equality on Trial (2015); A Thousand Times More Fair: What Shakespeare’s Plays Teach Us About Justice (2011); and Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights (2006). Yoshino has published in major academic journals, including The Harvard Law Review, The Stanford Law Review, and The Yale Law Journal. He has also written for more popular forums, including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Yoshino makes regular appearances on radio and television programs, such as NPR, CNN, PBS and MSNBC. In 2015, he became a regular contributor to the New York Times Magazine’s podcast and column “The Ethicists.”
In 2011, he was elected to the Harvard Board of Overseers for a six-year term. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Talent Innovation, the Board of the Brennan Center for Justice, the External Advisory Panel for Diversity and Inclusion for the World Bank Group, the Global Advisory Board for Out Leadership, and the Inclusion External Advisory Council for Deloitte.
He lives in New York City with his husband and two children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 6, 2025
An amazingly well-written set of chapters examining how Shakespearean theatre engages with law and justice. A must-read for any fan of English literature and legal philosophy!
Trust me when I say that it would’ve been very easy to make such writing academically dry, and yet Yoshino succeeds in his ability to keep the text concise and the reader invested as he analyses the plays in it’s historical context (and contrasting them with contemporary thoughts).
The best way I can describe reading this book is like watching a really good video essay which you love to return to every now and then.
Favourite chapter? “Chapter 3: The Judge (on “Measure for Measure”)
Trust me when I say that it would’ve been very easy to make such writing academically dry, and yet Yoshino succeeds in his ability to keep the text concise and the reader invested as he analyses the plays in it’s historical context (and contrasting them with contemporary thoughts).
The best way I can describe reading this book is like watching a really good video essay which you love to return to every now and then.
Favourite chapter? “Chapter 3: The Judge (on “Measure for Measure”)
June 9, 2019
Yoshino selects some of Shakespeare’s famous works and analyzes them in keeping with the theme of justice that he has amassed as a law professor specializing in constitutional law. Despite not having read two of the plays, Yoshino provides enough context from the play to make reading its analysis and subsequent connections to modern day society still quite enjoyable.
The book comes with high and low points. The connections Yoshino makes between Titus Andronicus and the US “blood feud” with Iraq is wonderful. He uses his perspective on law to talk about the ineffectual nature of a true international government that has the ability to supersede what was, without even needing the benefit of hindsight, an extreme acting out of the biblical eye for an eye type of mentality. The low points of the book come with some redundancies of language. The connections he makes with Othello and the OJ Simpson case, while interesting, feel like they could be trimmed down significantly while still maintaining the content of what is being said.
The book comes with high and low points. The connections Yoshino makes between Titus Andronicus and the US “blood feud” with Iraq is wonderful. He uses his perspective on law to talk about the ineffectual nature of a true international government that has the ability to supersede what was, without even needing the benefit of hindsight, an extreme acting out of the biblical eye for an eye type of mentality. The low points of the book come with some redundancies of language. The connections he makes with Othello and the OJ Simpson case, while interesting, feel like they could be trimmed down significantly while still maintaining the content of what is being said.
September 14, 2017
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.
August 21, 2011
Whether you are or are not a lawyer and whether you do or don't know a lot about Shakespeare's plays, Yoshino's book provides insights to both areas. In addition to providing a great deal of information about the several plays he discusses, each selected for a different legal topic, he explores not only how the state of the law and the judicial processes at the relevant times influenced what Shakespeare wrote and the perspective from which he wrote it, but also brings the discussions to bear on more current legal issues. I definitely recommend this as a book to read.
Read
August 19, 2011THE LAW PLAYS an unacknowledged role in much of Shakespeare’s work. Trials—real trials, quasi-trials, mock trials—recur. In many plays, characters refer to contemporary laws and legal institutions; and the plays raise larger questions about justice and the workings of the law. Lawyers, then, can help to illuminate Shakespeare’s plays, and many have done so by explaining the early modern legal background and Shakespeare’s exploitation of persistent legal puzzles for dramatic purposes.Read more...
November 16, 2011
I enjoyed this on several levels. As a Shakespeare fan, I liked seeing an analysis of a different type than I usually see for, say, Hamlet and Othello. Yoshino also did a good job of explaining the events of plays that I hadn't read clearly enough for me to follow his line of thought, but not spoiling them to the extent that I had no interest in reading them anymore. As a writer, it also gave me another dimension to think about when writing my own stories.
Want to read
November 2, 2011Author's web site: http://bit.ly/vCh0B2
"...Why is the rule of law better than revenge? How much mercy should we show a wrongdoer? What does it mean to "prove" guilt or innocence? As Yoshino argues, a searching examination of Shakespeare's plays–and the many advocates, judges, criminals, and vigilantes who populate them–can elucidate some of the most troubling issues in contemporary life."
"...Why is the rule of law better than revenge? How much mercy should we show a wrongdoer? What does it mean to "prove" guilt or innocence? As Yoshino argues, a searching examination of Shakespeare's plays–and the many advocates, judges, criminals, and vigilantes who populate them–can elucidate some of the most troubling issues in contemporary life."
May 23, 2011
Kenji Yoshino's look into Shakespeare's plays reveals the many ways justice was served from Roman times up to the XVII century.
Thoughtful and entertaining. Controversial and enlightening. Do not miss.
Read
December 3, 2011I thought Yoshino's Covering was brilliant, providing legitimately fresh insight into civil rights jurisprudence and society. A Thousand Times More Fair confirmed that Yoshino is brilliant and was interesting but not terribly groundbreaking.
January 9, 2013
This book feels like a bad lit dissertation (with little depth and a mechanical methodology) but I can't stop reading it. very weird-sometimes-amusing to watch a lawyer trying cavalier literary analysis.
October 4, 2011
The book started off interesting but then kind of got boring.
May 29, 2021
It's been a long time since I've read academic literary criticism, so I have no idea where this book would fit into the latest theories and praxis of English departments today. But as a book directed to a wider audience, helping us understand more about both Shakespeare and current legal issues surrounding justice and international law, I found this book a success.
Yoshino's book gave me the chance to revisit some plays I haven't looked at in over 20 years, and it also gave me the chance to revisit Hamlet, which I've taught every year, and see it in a new light. Yoshino, while a legal scholar and not a literary critical one, is familiar with the now canonical takes on Hamlet: Goethe, Nietzsche, Freud, Bradley, Greenblatt, Garber. And he knows that the crux of any literary interpretation has the same test of any legal interpretation: extensive and reasonable evidence-based argument. In essence, Yoshino's approach is to apply principles of law and justice to Shakespeare's plays to teach us more about law and justice--not necessarily more about Shakespeare (although there are bits of Greenblattian historical context to help there too).
That said, academics looking for something to build off of probably won't find a lot here. But if they're looking to learn connections to the larger early-21st-century context of battling premises over law and justice, they will. And I imagine legal scholars looking for connections to Shakespeare, whether to add a dash of flourish to their written opinions or just for fun, will too.
Yoshino's book gave me the chance to revisit some plays I haven't looked at in over 20 years, and it also gave me the chance to revisit Hamlet, which I've taught every year, and see it in a new light. Yoshino, while a legal scholar and not a literary critical one, is familiar with the now canonical takes on Hamlet: Goethe, Nietzsche, Freud, Bradley, Greenblatt, Garber. And he knows that the crux of any literary interpretation has the same test of any legal interpretation: extensive and reasonable evidence-based argument. In essence, Yoshino's approach is to apply principles of law and justice to Shakespeare's plays to teach us more about law and justice--not necessarily more about Shakespeare (although there are bits of Greenblattian historical context to help there too).
That said, academics looking for something to build off of probably won't find a lot here. But if they're looking to learn connections to the larger early-21st-century context of battling premises over law and justice, they will. And I imagine legal scholars looking for connections to Shakespeare, whether to add a dash of flourish to their written opinions or just for fun, will too.
August 3, 2022
This is an excellent book, which I considered rating with 5 stars.
Yoshino considers numerous plays from a stance of justice and law, but his arc also takes into consideration the relations of these aspects to those of truth, beauty, love, and empathy (this list could go on). Using the lens of justice and law to look at plays is instructive, as it provides even more force to the argument that Shakespeare's perspective of humanity is extraordinarily broad. After a consideration of a particular play, Yoshino often then relates the topics discussed to recent events, including the OJ Simpson trial, the Sotomayor confirmation hearings, and other events, including Supreme Court decisions.
One of the things that I found interesting is that the book tackles some of Shakespeare's difficult works, such as Titus Andronicus, a play which is difficult to read because of the sheer inhumanity that is represented. Yoshino also considers some of my least favorite plays, which include Measure For Measure, Macbeth, and King Lear. These plays include some of 'man's' vilest tendencies of duplicity, hypocrisy, ambition, and cruelty, but in ways that I have always struggled with. Yoshino does a terrific job of unpacking the dynamics of these plays, and shows a considerable degree of scholarly awareness of the relation of the plays to Elizabethan history and practices, but also of the historical practices of the time and culture in which the play deals.
Yoshino's treatment of the plays displays a considerable sensitivity to the text, and the book is highly recommended.
Yoshino considers numerous plays from a stance of justice and law, but his arc also takes into consideration the relations of these aspects to those of truth, beauty, love, and empathy (this list could go on). Using the lens of justice and law to look at plays is instructive, as it provides even more force to the argument that Shakespeare's perspective of humanity is extraordinarily broad. After a consideration of a particular play, Yoshino often then relates the topics discussed to recent events, including the OJ Simpson trial, the Sotomayor confirmation hearings, and other events, including Supreme Court decisions.
One of the things that I found interesting is that the book tackles some of Shakespeare's difficult works, such as Titus Andronicus, a play which is difficult to read because of the sheer inhumanity that is represented. Yoshino also considers some of my least favorite plays, which include Measure For Measure, Macbeth, and King Lear. These plays include some of 'man's' vilest tendencies of duplicity, hypocrisy, ambition, and cruelty, but in ways that I have always struggled with. Yoshino does a terrific job of unpacking the dynamics of these plays, and shows a considerable degree of scholarly awareness of the relation of the plays to Elizabethan history and practices, but also of the historical practices of the time and culture in which the play deals.
Yoshino's treatment of the plays displays a considerable sensitivity to the text, and the book is highly recommended.
September 23, 2018
This book was a great idea, and I definitely got some new perspectives on law and justice from it. AS the chapters progressed it became a bit less engaging. As one might expect, despite the breadth of Shakespeare's plays, his underlying thoughts on justice tended to fall into similar tracks. Yosshino demonstrates deep respect for Shakespeare and the law in his writing, and he generally constructs easy-to-follow lay-friendly explanations of his points. I found a couple of chapters grabbing politically relevant topics from the time where more time-tested legal precedents might have aged better. The writing never lacks for clarity, but the overall experience reminded me of reading a series of particularly cogent grad-school essays instead of wholly integrated work of criticism. To be fair, Yoshino is more of a legal scholar than a literary critic, so not writing like a critic may not count against him. Some of Shakespeare's works contain gore that one might not share with a child, but I didn't see anything else that might offend. Definitely worth a read if you really like Shakespeare AND the law, but maybe give it a pass if Shakespeare is your only interest in the matter.
June 16, 2024
A Thousand Times More Fair is a book by Kenji Yoshino. It examines twelve of Shakespeare's plays through the lens of a lawyer. The book isn't what I expected, but it was fascinating.
I am still reading all of the Shakespeare canon, and this book was enlightening. It covers Titus Andronicus, The Merchant of Venice, Measure For Measure, Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, The Tempest, and the Henriad. I didn't know what The Henriad was, but the book explains that it is the collective title of four plays: Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, and Henry V.
The book is a compelling combination of legalese and literature. Yoshino acknowledges the points that Shakespeare's plays made while preserving their meaning in the Elizabethan Era.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
I am still reading all of the Shakespeare canon, and this book was enlightening. It covers Titus Andronicus, The Merchant of Venice, Measure For Measure, Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, The Tempest, and the Henriad. I didn't know what The Henriad was, but the book explains that it is the collective title of four plays: Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, and Henry V.
The book is a compelling combination of legalese and literature. Yoshino acknowledges the points that Shakespeare's plays made while preserving their meaning in the Elizabethan Era.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
February 14, 2025
A captivating rhetorical analysis of Shakespeare and how it relates to justice. Yoshino not only puts Shakespeare into an easy to understand language, he motivates me to actually sit down and read Shakespeare more in depth than I did in sixth grade. The analysis also helped me understand better some modern day events and their connection to literature. Then, it all wraps up with a lovely reflection on humankind. Very recommended!
December 25, 2016
Yoshino has some interesting insights, but the contemporary applications felt contrived. Shoehorning OJ Simpson's glove into Othello, or Clinton's "meaning of the word is" into Merchant of Venice? Not convincing. I found myself skipping over those sections to read the analyses of the plays themselves. Apart from a dreadful essay on Macbeth, these were mostly worthwhile—though not luminous.
April 5, 2018
We used a Thousand Times More Fair as a reference for Shakespearian study in our book club this year and it was a wonderful opportunity to look at Shakespeare's works in view of the law. Legal implications of many events in every play provided much information for study and discussion. I found this book to be an excellent resource and highly recommend it. I give it 4.5 stars.
July 23, 2017
One of the best works in analyzing Shakespeare's works from a legal perspective. Delightful read.
October 20, 2017
Highly recommended to my many nerd friends.
December 21, 2017
Finished a book my mom got me for Christmas! It belonged to a Chief Justice and is a great book if you're interested in Shakespeare or the law.
July 28, 2024
as sabine said, this was (conceptually) like a silly little english essay i’d write but probs better argued. kenji had some excellent points yet again
February 7, 2015
I’m a lawyer, and I love Shakespeare. So I enjoyed this book. Yoshino is a law professor and an excellent writer. There is a lot of law in Shakespeare’s plays (see Measure for Measure and Merchant of Venice, especially). Yoshino attempts to draw lessons for today from Shakespeare’s plays. I’m not sure that he succeeds completely, but he sure has a lot of interesting things to say about them.
He compares Portia to President Clinton because they both parse words expertly. He also treats Shylock as the hero of the Merchant of Venice, which I think misreads the play. While Shylock is mistreated, he is still not a nice guy at all.
His comparison of the Bush administration to Titus Andronicus (it was all about revenge) is far-fetched. But comparing George W. Bush to Hal in the Henry plays is not only interesting, but actually plausible (the prodigal son reforms and then goes on foreign campaigns).
The chapter about Measure for Measure starts with the observation that judicial confirmation hearings, where Senators talk a lot and nominees say as little as possible, are mostly only useful as opportunities to reflect on what we think the role of a judge should be in our society. This fits really well with Measure for Measure, where we hear line after line about how judges should enforce the law. If for no other reason than my love of the play, I enjoyed this chapter. But there are some gems here. Yoshino notes Elbow’s confusion of legal terms and says that they are funny, “but, on reflection, no laughing matter. Law is language with violent consequences.” With that, he hits the trifecta for me – law, language, and Shakespeare. Yoshino has more interesting analysis of the play than I can mention – it is a winner of a chapter.
He explains Hamlet’s indecision as being caused by his desire for perfect justice. While I am not entirely convinced, it is very interesting, especially when we think about the imperfections in our own legal systems. I love his little thought experiment about what would happen if we switched Hamlet and Othello in their plays – I agree with him that things would have turned out much happier for all. So, should we seek perfect justice, or just the best that we can do today? I say yes.
Speaking of The Tempest, he compares Prospero’s abandonment of his art to President Washington’s relinquishing of power and asks us to look for the Prosperos of today. Combining Shakespeare and American history? Now that is great stuff.
He also looks at Macbeth, Othello, the Henry plays, and King Lear. I enjoyed those chapters as well, but preferred the chapters about my favorite plays.
In all, this is a good book for fans of Shakespeare and for fans of law. Some of the comparisons that he makes between modern events and the plays are not particularly convincing, but they are still interesting. At the very least, it will jumpstart a lot of thinking about important issues for lawyers.
He compares Portia to President Clinton because they both parse words expertly. He also treats Shylock as the hero of the Merchant of Venice, which I think misreads the play. While Shylock is mistreated, he is still not a nice guy at all.
His comparison of the Bush administration to Titus Andronicus (it was all about revenge) is far-fetched. But comparing George W. Bush to Hal in the Henry plays is not only interesting, but actually plausible (the prodigal son reforms and then goes on foreign campaigns).
The chapter about Measure for Measure starts with the observation that judicial confirmation hearings, where Senators talk a lot and nominees say as little as possible, are mostly only useful as opportunities to reflect on what we think the role of a judge should be in our society. This fits really well with Measure for Measure, where we hear line after line about how judges should enforce the law. If for no other reason than my love of the play, I enjoyed this chapter. But there are some gems here. Yoshino notes Elbow’s confusion of legal terms and says that they are funny, “but, on reflection, no laughing matter. Law is language with violent consequences.” With that, he hits the trifecta for me – law, language, and Shakespeare. Yoshino has more interesting analysis of the play than I can mention – it is a winner of a chapter.
He explains Hamlet’s indecision as being caused by his desire for perfect justice. While I am not entirely convinced, it is very interesting, especially when we think about the imperfections in our own legal systems. I love his little thought experiment about what would happen if we switched Hamlet and Othello in their plays – I agree with him that things would have turned out much happier for all. So, should we seek perfect justice, or just the best that we can do today? I say yes.
Speaking of The Tempest, he compares Prospero’s abandonment of his art to President Washington’s relinquishing of power and asks us to look for the Prosperos of today. Combining Shakespeare and American history? Now that is great stuff.
He also looks at Macbeth, Othello, the Henry plays, and King Lear. I enjoyed those chapters as well, but preferred the chapters about my favorite plays.
In all, this is a good book for fans of Shakespeare and for fans of law. Some of the comparisons that he makes between modern events and the plays are not particularly convincing, but they are still interesting. At the very least, it will jumpstart a lot of thinking about important issues for lawyers.
December 12, 2015
Each chapter of the book is about a play and a lesson about justice to be drawn. Typically, the chapter will apply the lesson to a modern day example. Personally I found the chapters about plays I've already read the most enjoyable, though I did read the others as well. I feel like each lesson is generally easy to grasp. Titus Andronicus is about how without a rule of law embodied by the state revenge cycles spiral out of control, Macbeth is about our yearning for natural justice, and the Henarid about the nature of sovereignty. I like the mix of history, literary criticism and law that Yoshino writes about. For example, he discusses the historical shift from divine to human fact finding to fuller explain the context of ocular proof in Othello. He draws on Weber's three methods of leadership (feudal, charismatic and legal) to explain the three "fathers" Hal embraces in his path to becoming Henry V. Professor Yoshino has some pretty unique interpretations of Shakespeare, at many points he offers understandings of certain themes and characters that are not mainstream. Some of that seems like a stretch to me, but it's novel and enjoyable to mull over. For example, Yoshino argues that Portia is the most dangerous one in Merchant of Venice, she is able to manipulate the law to her own ends through technicalities (she manipulates her father's will, the trial and her lover). The book is equal parts literary analysis and law, and in my opinion he makes it work. A short read as well, the text is large and double spaced. Definitely a good primer in the field of law and literature.
December 30, 2013
I liked several things about Yoshino's book, though ultimately I found the chapter per play approach to be a bit disjointed, and somewhat uneven. In general, I found his chapters about lesser known plays to be more vivid in their connections to contemporary legal questions, and more surprising in their analyses of the plays. While his chapters on the big tragedies seem too general in the lessons they draw, though that's an understandable problem when writing about Hamlet. In contrast, several of his chapters on "comedies" managed to tease out the complications of the visions of justice they imply. He brings a healthy skepticism to Portia's verbal dexterity, which he sees as dangerous in its ability to insist that any situation by read on more favorable terms. Meanwhile, his articulations of the differing visions of justice at play in Measure for Measure illuminated the pageants of judicial confirmations - especially the "empathy" debate around Sotomayor's confirmation hearings.
In general, Yoshino brings a careful and dispassionate eye to characters not often considered without passion - to the question of Prospero's treatment of Caliban, the choices Henry V makes as he feels his way to kingship, and even to the blood and gore of Titus Andronicus. So while I felt the book as a whole could have been better crafted, and some of the chapters held my attention less than others, he manages to bring a legal vision to Shakespeare in ways that illuminate both his plays and the place of justice in today's institutions.
In general, Yoshino brings a careful and dispassionate eye to characters not often considered without passion - to the question of Prospero's treatment of Caliban, the choices Henry V makes as he feels his way to kingship, and even to the blood and gore of Titus Andronicus. So while I felt the book as a whole could have been better crafted, and some of the chapters held my attention less than others, he manages to bring a legal vision to Shakespeare in ways that illuminate both his plays and the place of justice in today's institutions.
March 28, 2012
Mr. Yoshino was once an English major but decided to pursue law. He found that the two aren’t necessarily incompatible. Using Shakespeare’s plays as his sources, he outlines the connections between various aspects of the law as practiced by the characters in the Bard’s works and how they reflect on modern society. The man reveals his deep love of Shakespeare, his thorough understanding of literature and a firm grounding in the legal system, both past and present.
Far from being too dry, “A Thousand Times More Fair” is an engrossing look at how the law, imperfect as it is, is absolutely necessary to humanity and how well Shakespeare understood the concept of it, as he understood so much else about the human condition. The Bard’s plays stand the test of time because he knew what human beings were, what they aspired to be, how tragically they could fall from grace and how gracefully they could rise from tragedy. Mr. Yoshino’s grasp of law and literature enable him to deal precisely with these very same behavioral patterns.
Far from being too dry, “A Thousand Times More Fair” is an engrossing look at how the law, imperfect as it is, is absolutely necessary to humanity and how well Shakespeare understood the concept of it, as he understood so much else about the human condition. The Bard’s plays stand the test of time because he knew what human beings were, what they aspired to be, how tragically they could fall from grace and how gracefully they could rise from tragedy. Mr. Yoshino’s grasp of law and literature enable him to deal precisely with these very same behavioral patterns.
April 15, 2012
Mr. Yoshino was once an English major but decided to pursue law. He found that the two aren’t necessarily incompatible. Using Shakespeare’s plays as his sources, he outlines the connections between various aspects of the law as practiced by the characters in the Bard’s works and how they reflect on modern society. The man reveals his deep love of Shakespeare, his thorough understanding of literature and a firm grounding in the legal system, both past and present. Far from being too dry, “A Thousand Times More Fair” is an engrossing look at how the law, imperfect as it is, is absolutely necessary to humanity and how well Shakespeare understood the concept of it, as he understood so much else about the human condition. The Bard’s plays stand the test of time because he knew what human beings were, what they aspired to be, how tragically they could fall from grace and how gracefully they could rise from tragedy. Mr. Yoshino’s grasp of law and literature enable him to deal precisely with these very same behavioral patterns.
September 17, 2012
It has been 20 years since I put a book down, unfinished, but that is exactly what I did with "A Thousand Times More Fair".
The premise is excellent and Shakespeare is a fitting prism through which to view the law. My complaint is about the Harvard-educated author's complete lack of understanding of the lex talionis and the fact that it is a statement about the punishment fitting the crime, not a statement about revenge.
Mr. Yoshino's belief that Christianity trumps Jewish law at all times and in all places is so naked that I actually looked for Yoshino online to see if he was a fundamentalist Christian.
I put the book down twice and returned to it twice to see if his attitude would alter or diminish. When I picked it up a third time I went only five pages before running into yet another example of his ignorance/bigotry. That was enough for me to abandon it completely.
I cannot in good conscience recommend this to any reader, whether a Jew like myself, or a gentile.
The premise is excellent and Shakespeare is a fitting prism through which to view the law. My complaint is about the Harvard-educated author's complete lack of understanding of the lex talionis and the fact that it is a statement about the punishment fitting the crime, not a statement about revenge.
Mr. Yoshino's belief that Christianity trumps Jewish law at all times and in all places is so naked that I actually looked for Yoshino online to see if he was a fundamentalist Christian.
I put the book down twice and returned to it twice to see if his attitude would alter or diminish. When I picked it up a third time I went only five pages before running into yet another example of his ignorance/bigotry. That was enough for me to abandon it completely.
I cannot in good conscience recommend this to any reader, whether a Jew like myself, or a gentile.
September 26, 2016
If you like shakespeare, and are merely looking for a book to read that draws legal analysis from Shakespeare's work then this is a five star work.
However, if you are looking to do actual legal analysis in literature, this is a disappointment. The conclusion to be drawn from the merchant of venice that fact-finders are fallible, while maybe a conclusion worth the paper it is printed on in shakespeare's time, hardly seems like it needs illuminating today.
Yoshino clearly had a lot of fun writing this, and, to be fair to him I had a lot of fun reading it. Not in the context of a law and literature class, though.
However, if you are looking to do actual legal analysis in literature, this is a disappointment. The conclusion to be drawn from the merchant of venice that fact-finders are fallible, while maybe a conclusion worth the paper it is printed on in shakespeare's time, hardly seems like it needs illuminating today.
Yoshino clearly had a lot of fun writing this, and, to be fair to him I had a lot of fun reading it. Not in the context of a law and literature class, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2013
I wish there were more books like this one! Intelligently written, but still easy to read. Complicated ideas, but presented in such a down-to-earth fashion that even a simpleton like me could easily inderstand them. Most books about Shakespeare's works are a bore, but this was both entertaining and insightful. He relates each play to a well known current legal situation, such as the war in Iraq or the O.J. Simpson trial. This is definitely one of the best books to focus on a specific theme in Shakespeare's plays that I've ever read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews