Shakespeare and the Law: A Conversation Among Disciplines and Professions

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Synopsis
William Shakespeare is inextricably linked with the law. Legal documents make up most of the records we have of his life, and trials, lawsuits, and legal terms permeate his plays. Gathering an extraordinary team of literary and legal scholars, philosophers, and even sitting judges, "Shakespeare and the Law" demonstrates that ShakespeareOCOs thinking about legal concepts and legal practice points to a deep and sometimes vexed engagement with the lawOCOs technical workings, its underlying premises, and its social effects. a"Shakespeare and the Law "opens with three essays that provide useful frameworks for approaching the topic, offering perspectives on law and literature that emphasize both the continuities and contrasts between the two fields. In its second section, the book considers ShakespeareOCOs awareness of common law thinking and common law practice through examinations of "Measure for Measure" and "Othello. " Building and expanding on this question, the third part inquires into ShakespeareOCOs general attitudes toward legal systems. A judge and a former solicitor general rule on ShylockOCOs demand for enforcement of his odd contract; and two essays by literary scholars take contrasting views on whether Shakespeare could imagine a functioning legal system. The fourth section looks at how law enters into conversation with issues of politics and community, both in the plays and in our own world. The volume concludes with a freewheeling colloquy among Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Judge Richard Posner, Martha C. Nussbaum, and Richard Strier that covers everything from the ghost in "Hamlet" to the nature of judicial discretion. aCelebrating the sometimes fractious intellectual energy produced by scholars and practitioners tackling the question of Shakespeare and the law, this collection is a resource and provocation for further thinking and ongoing discussion.
Copyright:
2013

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
352 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780226924946
Related ISBNs:
9780226924939
Publisher:
The University of Chicago Press
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
The University of Chicago Press
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Literature and Fiction, Drama, Plays and Theater, Language Arts
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.
Edited by:
Bradin Cormack
Edited by:
Martha C. Nussbaum
Edited by:
Richard Strier

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