A Felony To Drink Small Beer~ Reflections on Food and Drug Metaphors in Shakespeare
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Berman, James G.
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A Felony To Drink Small Beer~ Reflections on Food and Drug Metaphors in Shakespeare (1995 Third Year Paper)Abstract
Some things don't change. Garlic and onions have always smelled less than perfumy on the breath--in Shakespeare's day and now. The images of food and drugs in Shakespeare are ubiquitous and reflect some of the same societal quirks and constructs that are firmly entrenched today. After reading his plays, you could say that Shakespeare didn't like lawyers, liked beer and avoided onions and garlic before a social engagement. That all may be true. Yet, what these predilections and aversions, in the form of food imagery, can tell us about larger issues of the day can be far more interesting. As is true today, little was more important then than what you took into your body. Food, as the staff of life, was bound to be talked about, regulated, symbolized and consumed.Terms of Use
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