As John Drakakis writes in his essay on Shakespeare’s
The Merchant of Veniceelsewhere in this Encylopedia,
commentators on The Merchant of Venice have occasionally suggested that the specific stimulus to Shakespeare’s creative imagination may have been the Roderigo Lopez affair. Lopez was a Portuguese Jew who had become Elizabeth I’s personal physician in 1586 and who was arraigned, convicted, and executed for allegedly trying to poison the queen.
commentators on
The Merchant of Venicehave occasionally suggested that the specific stimulus to Shakespeare’s creative imagination may have been the Roderigo Lopez affair. Lopez was a Portuguese Jew who had become Elizabeth I’s personal physician in 1586 and who was arraigned, convicted, and executed for allegedly trying to poison the…
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Citation: Forsyth, Neil. "Sundrie Horrible Conspiracies". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 May 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=33191, accessed 24 November 2024.]