Shakespeare at Large: Law and the First Folio

Author: Matteo Nicolini
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781041290827
Published In: May 2026
Format: Hardback
Jurisdiction: U.K. ? Disclaimer:
Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only

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This collection celebrates the quadricentennial anniversary of Shakespeare's First Folio (1623), examining the intersection of law, literature, history, and performance through eight scholarly essays. The volume explores how the First Folio serves as a crucial lens for understanding the politico-legal implications of Shakespeare's works, addressing themes of identity, authorship, orality, performance, and print culture in early modern England.

The collection provides interdisciplinary analysis of legal concepts embedded in Shakespeare's plays, from constitutional questions in King John to juridical thought in The Tempest. Contributors examine parliamentary representation, legal subjectivity, authorship and ownership rights, and comparative legal vulnerabilities across different cultural contexts. Each chapter demonstrates how Shakespeare's dramatic works engage with contemporary legal frameworks while remaining relevant to modern jurisprudential debates.

Introduction. Shakespeare at large: law and the First Folio

Matteo Nicolini

1. Shakespeare’s testament: England in 1623

Ian Ward

2. Shakespeare and the theatre of early modern law

Paul Raffield

3. Performing a constitution: a history of Magna Carta in Shakespeare’s King John

Ruth Houghton

4. ‘The tribunes of the people, the tongues o’ the common mouth’: parliamentarians as representatives when scrutinizing laws

Sean Mulcahy and Kate Seear

5. Caliban as legal subject: The Tempest and Renaissance juridical thought

Wojciech Engelking