Shakespeare and the Law

Synopsis: Video podcast presenting an analysis of political and legal developments in late Elizabethan England and their representation in Shakespeare’s plays, focusing on contemporary debates concerning the powers of the Crown and the extent to which these were limited by the law. PhD student Adam Slavny and Professor of Law Paul Raffield take as their starting point the gravedigger scene from Hamlet which parodies Hales v Pettit,a case decided in 1564. The scene, suggests Raffield, demonstrates that Shakespeare had a considerable technical knowledge of he law. Paul Raffield’s book is entitled Shakespeare’s Imaginary Constitution: Late-Elizabethan Politics and the Theatre of Law.
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Video
Technical information: Colour / Sound
Recording date: 2011
Duration: 45 mins