Chapter 17: Emilia – Summary & Analysis

Spoiler Notice

This analysis reveals major plot points from Chapter 17 of By Any Other Name. Reading ahead may diminish the impact of the story’s twists. Proceed with caution if you wish to experience the chapter fresh.

Summary

Emilia, now in her late thirties, realizes she is not the only ghostwriter behind the Shakespeare name. She confronts Shakespeare at the Falcon Inn, demanding a raise from 15 to 30 shillings per play, but he arrogantly dismisses her, claiming the “William Shakespeare” brand now sells any play. Furious and impoverished, Emilia takes a position as music tutor to Lady Anne Clifford, daughter of the progressive Countess of Cumberland. At the Clifford estates, she finds an Eden where women pursue knowledge and alchemy without male interference. Inspired, she attempts to secure patronage by writing a book of religious poetry dedicated to noblewomen. The publisher Bonian reluctantly prints it, but it fails commercially—no patroness responds. Desperate and without income, Emilia returns to Shakespeare with a new play, The Winter’s Tale, which she sells for a mere ten shillings. The play’s themes of jealousy, loss, and miraculous reunion mirror her own life. After her abusive husband Alphonso dies, Emilia wins a lawsuit for a hay patent with unexpected help from the Earl of Southampton. Their emotional encounter reveals he has always recognized her writing, quoting lines from The Winter’s Tale that echo their shared past. The chapter closes on Emilia’s exhaustion and the bitter sweetness of their final goodbye.

Key Events

Emilia learns other playwrights also write under Shakespeare’s name and suspects he merely brokers others’ work.
She demands a raise from Shakespeare and is refused; he taunts her that the brand is now self-sustaining.
She becomes a tutor to Lady Anne Clifford, living with the forward-thinking Countess Margaret Clifford, who encourages female education and alchemical study.
Emilia drafts a poem praising Cooke-ham and contemplates how to secure an independent income through female patronage.
She compiles a book of pious poetry with dedications to ten noblewomen, hoping to attract benefactors.
The publisher Bonian agrees only after being provoked by a rival, but the book is a commercial failure; no patroness steps forward.
With no money left, Emilia writes The Winter’s Tale, a story of a wronged wife, lost child, and redemption after sixteen years.
She sells the play to Shakespeare for ten shillings at the Mermaid Tavern, humiliatingly accepting lower terms.
Alphonso dies; Emilia is free.
Emilia sues her brother-in-law Innocent for withholding the hay patent funds, and Southampton appears in court to argue on her behalf.
After the trial, Southampton confronts Emilia, quotes lines from The Winter’s Tale, and reveals he knew she wrote it. They share a passionate embrace and a painful farewell.

Character Development

Emilia Bassano: She moves from angry defiance to a humbling realization that the Shakespeare brand no longer needs her. Her time with the Cliffords renews her hope for female solidarity, but the failure of her poetry book crushes her. Reduced to selling her art for shamefully low pay, she channels personal grief into The Winter’s Tale. The chapter ends with her gaining legal and emotional closure—but she remains economically precarious.
William Shakespeare: His arrogance has swollen with fame. He openly admits that the name sells, regardless of the quality of the writing. Yet a flicker of unease emerges when he reads Emilia’s poetry and later acknowledges the emptiness of taking credit. His acceptance of The Winter’s Tale at a cut rate shows his exploitative side tempered by a weary kind of respect.
Lady Margaret Clifford: Introduced as a defiant widow who distills medicines and practices alchemy. Her credo—“beat them at their own game”—inspires Emilia. She represents an alternative model of female power through intellect and legal activism.
Lady Anne Clifford: A teenager who is cynical about love and marriage, shaped by her parents’ toxic union. She provides a foil for Emilia’s romantic ideals and an audience for philosophical conversations.
Henry Wriothesley (Southampton): He reemerges as a quiet protector, stepping in to win Emilia’s lawsuit. His emotional confession—that he recognized her work, cherished her letters, and understands the dual meaning of The Winter’s Tale—closes a decades-long loop of longing and sacrifice.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

The Brand versus the Artist: Shakespeare’s name has become a commercial entity divorced from genuine creativity. Emilia’s words built the brand, but now that brand sustains itself, leaving the creator disposable.
Anonymity and Erasure: Emilia’s attempt to publish under her own name fails spectacularly, underscoring how a female voice could not be accepted in literary markets. Her authentic poetry had to be “formulaic and strained” to fit expectations, yet still no one bought it.
Alchemy as Metaphor: Lady Clifford’s alchemical experiments mirror Emilia’s attempts to transform her circumstances—through patronage, poetry, and finally a play that transmutes personal pain into art. The philosopher’s stone is equated with eternal life through writing.
Time and Redemption: The sixteen-year gap in The Winter’s Tale directly parallels the time since Emilia’s abortion and separation from Southampton. Time is personified in the play, and the chapter suggests that while wounds may heal, the scars remain.
Drowning and Love: Emilia’s description of love as “drowning” to Anne ties to the water imagery associated with her relationship to Southampton. The final scene at the court is saturated with the language of the play, blending fiction and reality.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 17 marks a critical transition in Emilia’s life: from a woman who wrote for money and anonymity to one who tries—and fails—to claim public authorship. It lays bare the brutal economics of the Shakespeare enterprise and the limits of female agency even within a supportive circle. The creation of The Winter’s Tale is both a desperate surrender and a coded love letter. Southampton’s recognition validates Emilia’s secret life-work, but the chapter refuses a fairy-tale ending: she walks away with twenty pounds but no lasting security or romantic resolution. The thematic convergence of art and lived experience reaches its peak here, setting up the final trajectory of the novel.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Emilia’s book of poetry fail, and what does this failure reveal about the literary marketplace of the time?
The book fails because it is too expensive to print in full, offers heretical ideas (a defense of Eve), and—most importantly—because no aristocratic women step forward to patronize her. The failure exposes a male-controlled publishing industry that considered women readers only for religious material, and the hypocrisy of noblewomen who, despite their education, were unwilling to support a female author.
How does The Winter’s Tale function as a personal allegory in this chapter?
The play’s plot mirrors Emilia’s own history: a wronged, pregnant wife; a child lost and rediscovered after sixteen years; and a miraculous reunion that cannot fully erase past pain. Southampton’s quotation of the play confirms it was written with him in mind. The bear stage direction recalls the story he told Henry, and the character of Time explicitly marks the sixteen-year gap, making the play a hidden confession.
What does Lady Clifford’s motto “beat them at their own game” mean, and how does Emilia try to apply it?
Lady Clifford believes women must use male systems—law, inheritance, intellectual property—against men to protect themselves. Emilia attempts this by publishing poetry under her own name, seeking a legal judgment for the hay patent, and writing a play that speaks to Southampton across the safety of Shakespeare’s name. However, the chapter suggests the game is rigged, as her poetry fails and the play only brings a meager sum.

Navigation

← Previous Chapter | Book Hub | Next Chapter →