Shakespeare and the Law

Shakespeare and the Law argues that Shakespeare was not primarily concerned with the technical accuracy of law, but with its capacity to generate drama through dispute and playing with rules.

List of contents

• 1: Why Shakespeare and the Law?


• 2: Stages: Shakespeare's Legal Time and Place


• 3: Roles: Shakespeare's Legal Personalities


• 4: Script: Shakespeare's Legal Language


• 5: Properties: Shakespeare's Legal Materials


• 6: Playgoers: Shakespeare's Judicious Audience


• 7: Shakespeare's Justice and Legal Legacy

About the author

Gary Watt is Professor of Law, The University of Warwick. He co-founded the journal Law and Humanities and is general editor of Bloomsbury's Cultural History of Law. He has held a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship on rhetorical performance and as a National Teaching Fellow and national 'Law Teacher of the Year' (2009) for many years delivered rhetoric workshops for the Royal Shakespeare Company. His books include Shakespeare's Acts of Will (Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare), Dress, Law, and Naked Truth (Bloomsbury), Trusts and Equity (Oxford), The Making Sense of Politics, Media, and Law (Cambridge) and Equity Stirring (Hart).

Summary

Shakespeare and the Law argues that Shakespeare was not primarily concerned with the technical accuracy of law, but with its capacity to generate drama through dispute and playing with rules.

Product details

• Authors: Gary Watt, Gary (Professor of Law Watt, Watt Gary
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 27.02.2025
• EAN: 9780198877073
• ISBN: 978-0-19-887707-3
• No. of pages: 208
• Series: Oxford Shakespeare Topics
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Social sciences, law, business > Law > General, dictionaries; English, LITERARY CRITICISM / Shakespeare, Legal History, Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800, Literary studies: c 1600 to c 1800, Shakespeare Studies & Criticism, Literary studies: plays and playwrights, Relating to Shakespeare / Shakespearean