William Shakespeare

cultural touchstone enduring ubiquitous aphoristic authoritative provocative satirical

William Shakespeare, the Elizabethan playwright and poet, appears as an invoked cultural authority when Data quips 'let us kill all the lawyers' to express frustration with legal barriers to artificial personhood. Absent from action, Shakespeare operates here as a rhetorical touchstone and moral provocateur: his aphoristic voice supplies the crew with a concise critique of legal institutions, sharpens Picard's strategic framing, and punctuates Data's ironic self-reflection during the personhood deliberations.

2 appearances

Cultural/Literary Influence

Also known as: Shakespeare

William Shakespeare's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

2 moments

S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Picard Demands Data's Voice

N/A for the historical person; as invoked, Shakespeare's voice introduces wry detachment and intellectual provocation into the dialogue.

Not present physically but rhetorically invoked by Data through quotation; Shakespeare functions as a cultural shorthand that frames legal skepticism and the irony of attacking lawyers.

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S2E9 · The Measure of a Man

Compelling Data to Testify

N/A for a referenced historical figure; the invocation carries ironic and darkly humorous resonance in the room.

Not present physically but invoked verbally by Data's quip to point out irony in legal systems; functions as a rhetorical device that compresses bitterness about lawyers and law.

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