Christina G Waldman 
Francis Bacon’s Hidden Hand in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice 

Fans of Shakespeare have long been struck by Portia’s impassioned plea for mercy and by the sophisticated lawyerly twists of the trial of Antonio v. Shylock in the Shakespeare play The Merchant of Venice.Christina Waldman, JD, shows how the scene shifts from a "law court" to "chancery court, " presaging the evolution of the English legal system, and she brings in a wealth of references to writers who have examined this play and related questions. Her own research has turned up countless suggestive examples of word-play along with intriguing possible historical precedents for names and symbols used in the drama, adding layers of appreciation and pleasure to the reading.