A Will and No Will; or, A Bone for the Lawyers. (1746) The New Play Criticiz'd,…
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"A Will and No Will; or, A Bone for the Lawyers" by Charles Macklin is a comedic farce written in the mid-18th century. This two-act play satirizes the legal profession and social conventions of its time, particularly focusing on themes of avarice and deceit through the character of Sir Isaac Skinflint, who exhibits extreme caution regarding his fortune and his will. Other characters, including his potential heirs and a scheming servant, contribute
to the chaos surrounding Skinflint's attempts to secure his legacy while avoiding financial loss. The opening of the play introduces a theatrical prologue featuring banter between audience members discussing the play's reception and teasing the Irish lawyer character. It sets a light-hearted tone while hinting at the comedic misadventures to follow, as characters express their motivations tied to inheritance and legal maneuvering. The prologue's whimsical discussion about the farce prepares the audience for the ensuing antics as the plot unfolds around Skinflint’s reluctance to draft a will and his encounters with would-be heirs and opportunists, ultimately revealing the absurdities of wealth and familial greed in a lively theatrical context. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Macklin, Charles, 1697?-1797 |
|---|---|
| Editor | Kern, Jean B. |
| LoC No. | 71001030 |
| Title | A Will and No Will; or, A Bone for the Lawyers. (1746) The New Play Criticiz'd, or the Plague of Envy. (1747) |
| Credits |
Produced by Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 80.4 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PR: Language and Literatures: English literature |
| Subject | English drama -- 18th century |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 40653 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-40653-4 |
| Release Date | Sep 3, 2012 |
| Last Update | Oct 23, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 608 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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