[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Shakespeare (was Raison d'Fanfic

[Michela Ecks]

Rita Winston wrote:
> 
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., hamster8 at h... wrote:
> > Which begs the question, if Shakespeare were still alive,
> > would he sue Pratchett for plagiarism?
> 
> His suit would be thrown out if he did: he stole from everyone.
> IIRC he stole King Lear and some other stuff from Giraldus
> Cambrensis, Hamlet from a book in French, his History plays from a
> Tudor court 'historian' propagandist... It is claimed that he also
> stole 'bits' (jokes and songs that got good audience response, etc)
> from "the competition"'s plays, altho' I was never told any examples.
> I should have mentioned Shakespeare when I was speaking of Milton
> having worked before the modern craze for changing the names and
> filing off the serial numbers.

Actually, it also begs the question: would Shakespeare be sued for
plagarism?  There are a lot of people in the academic world who don't
think Shakespeare was Shakespeare... :o)  

-- 
Michela Ecks - mecks at prodigy.net - Textual Poacher - Spastic Hale Girl
"Babylon 5 was last of the Babylon stations. There would never be
another. It changed the future and it changed us. It taught us that we
have to create the future or others will do it for us. It taught us
that we have to care for one other, because if we don't, who will? And
that true strength sometimes comes from the most unlikely of places.
Mostly though, I think it gave us hope that there can always be new
beginnings, even for people like us." - Susan Ivanova