
Shakespeare at Large
Law and the First Folio
Matteo Nicolini(Editor)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 18. May 2026
Book
Hardback
156 pages
978-1-041-29082-7 (ISBN)
Description
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 and an afterword. This 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, and print culture in early modern England.
The collection provides an interdisciplinary analysis of legal concepts embedded in Shakespeare's plays, from constitutional questions in King John to legal theory 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.
This volume benefits advanced students, researchers, and scholars in law and literature, Shakespeare studies, legal history, and comparative literature. It appeals to academics working at the intersection of humanities and legal studies, offering fresh perspectives on canonical texts through rigorous interdisciplinary methodology. This book was originally published as a special issue of Law & Humanities.
The collection provides an interdisciplinary analysis of legal concepts embedded in Shakespeare's plays, from constitutional questions in King John to legal theory 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.
This volume benefits advanced students, researchers, and scholars in law and literature, Shakespeare studies, legal history, and comparative literature. It appeals to academics working at the intersection of humanities and legal studies, offering fresh perspectives on canonical texts through rigorous interdisciplinary methodology. This book was originally published as a special issue of Law & Humanities.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
General, Postgraduate, Undergraduate Advanced, and Undergraduate Core
Product notice
Laminated cover
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
410 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-041-29082-7 (9781041290827)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
05/2026
Routledge
€60.49
Available for download

E-Book
05/2026
Routledge
€60.49
Available for download
Person
Matteo Nicolini, PhD, is Professor of Public Comparative Law at the Department of Law at the University of Verona, Italy, where he teaches Comparative Constitutional Traditions and Global Comparative Law. He is also Visiting Lecturer at the Newcastle University Law School, UK, as well as an External Partner of the Centre for the Study of Law in Theory and Practice (LTAP) at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. He is the author of several monographs, articles, and essays in the fields of comparative federalism, constitutional adjudication, legal geography, law and literature, and comparative legal methodology.
Content
Introduction. Shakespeare at large: law and the First Folio 1. Shakespeare's testament: England in 1623 2. Shakespeare and the theatre of early modern law 3. Performing a constitution: a history of Magna Carta in Shakespeare's King John 4. 'The tribunes of the people, the tongues o' the common mouth': parliamentarians as representatives when scrutinizing laws 5. Caliban as legal subject: The Tempest and Renaissance juridical thought 6. Exploring authorship and ownership of plays at the time of William Shakespeare's First Folio 7. Shakespeare and Voltaire: both legally vulnerable and successful Afterword