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Local Communities and Central Power in Shakespeare’s Transnational Law

Local Communities and Central Power in Shakespeare’s Transnational Law Abstract: This essay uses William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure , based on a novella by Gimbattista Giraldi Cinzio, to examine what it means for Shakespeare to stage narratives engaged in Italian Roman law within England’s common law system. The essay analyzes Measure for Measure as an exemplar of the cross-cultural legal exchanges in the numerous Italian stories depicted on the English stage. Within this comparative framework, Shakespeare builds from Italian social experience in Cinzio’s novella and Niccolò Machiavelli’s political discourse to critique the shift from local to state legal authority occurring throughout sixteenth-century England. Specifically, Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure challenges commanding perceptions of communal justice fundamental to English legal ideology and reveals law’s theatrical power. Using Shakespeare’s play as a case study, this essay further illustrates how transnational literature both contributes to popular early modern conceptions of law and uncovers power dynamics behind the development of legal systems. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Studies in Philology University of North Carolina Press

Local Communities and Central Power in Shakespeare’s Transnational Law

Studies in Philology , Volume 114 (1) – Jan 6, 2017

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Publisher
University of North Carolina Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 The University of North Carolina Press.
ISSN
1543-0383
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Abstract: This essay uses William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure , based on a novella by Gimbattista Giraldi Cinzio, to examine what it means for Shakespeare to stage narratives engaged in Italian Roman law within England’s common law system. The essay analyzes Measure for Measure as an exemplar of the cross-cultural legal exchanges in the numerous Italian stories depicted on the English stage. Within this comparative framework, Shakespeare builds from Italian social experience in Cinzio’s novella and Niccolò Machiavelli’s political discourse to critique the shift from local to state legal authority occurring throughout sixteenth-century England. Specifically, Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure challenges commanding perceptions of communal justice fundamental to English legal ideology and reveals law’s theatrical power. Using Shakespeare’s play as a case study, this essay further illustrates how transnational literature both contributes to popular early modern conceptions of law and uncovers power dynamics behind the development of legal systems.

Journal

Studies in PhilologyUniversity of North Carolina Press

Published: Jan 6, 2017

There are no references for this article.