Shakespeare and the Law

In July 2007, the School of Law at the University of Warwick hosted an international conference on Shakespeare and the Law. This was a truly interdisciplinary event, which included contributions from eminent speakers in the fields of English, history, theatre and law. The intention was to provide a congenial forum for the exploration, dissemination and discussion of Shakespeare's evident fascination with and knowledge of law, and its manifestation in his works.

The papers included in this volume reflect the diverse academic interests of participants at the conference. The eclectic themes of the edited collection range from analyses of the juristic content of specific plays, as in:-

• Law and its subversion in Romeo and Juliet,
• Coriolanus and the Midland Rising of 1607,
• Justice, care and relationship in Measure for Measure,
• Equity and missing trusts in King Lear,
• Macbeth, terrorism and equivocators
• and The Comedy of Errors and contractual theory

To more general explorations of Shakespearean jurisprudence, including:-

• Shakespeare and the Consistory courts,
• Shakespeare and the marriage contract,
• Shakespeare and Renaissance punishment theory
• and Shakespeare and specific performance.