This group has been established to discuss the theories set forth in the paper "A Picture in Little Is Worth a Thousand Words: Debasement in Hamlet and Measure for Measure," available and described in detail at www.wmshakespeare.com.

The two primary theories are:

(1) that Hamlet contains several hitherto unremarked upon references to coins (including the "picture in little" line), and that there are hints that Claudius's coinage is debased (an obvious hint is that Shakespeare believed that the Roman Emperor Claudius's coins were severely debased), and

(2) that the plot of Measure for Measure itself contains a metaphor for debasement, which neatly ties together observations of other scholars concerning the economic imagery of the play as well as contemporary personages represented by the characters.