Shakespearean Tragedy and the Common Law: The Art of PunishmentShakespearean Tragedy and the Common Law examines punishment in Shakespeare's tragedies from the perspective of English Renaissance common law cases and theory. William Shakespeare's work is grounded conceptually in the «artificial» reason of common law as embodied by the great jurist of the age, Sir Edward Coke. Coke's legal rationale is sufficiently distinct from our own to suggest that a reasonable spectator in Renaissance England would interpret key elements of Shakespeare's art differently than we do today. Punishment, the sine qua non of these plays, is treated via a spectrum of legal theories: retribution, restitution, deterrence, and reform. Dr. Hawley's close examination of all ten plays and some fifty cases reveals how law, art, and philosophy shape Shakespeare's tragic vision. |
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Page 66
The Art of Punishment William M. Hawley. prescription for poetic justice in tragedy . Moral rearmament cannot reverse the tragic revolution of fortune's wheel in King Lear . Justice and madness intersect because Lear has become entirely ...
The Art of Punishment William M. Hawley. prescription for poetic justice in tragedy . Moral rearmament cannot reverse the tragic revolution of fortune's wheel in King Lear . Justice and madness intersect because Lear has become entirely ...
Page 145
... justice . Some of them point to the atomic bombings of Japan as military outrages that went unpun- ished . Given the anger of the USSR over the release of several of the defendants , it could equally well be said that the verdicts were ...
... justice . Some of them point to the atomic bombings of Japan as military outrages that went unpun- ished . Given the anger of the USSR over the release of several of the defendants , it could equally well be said that the verdicts were ...
Page 154
... JUSTICE Political institutions lacking what Kant calls " distributive justice " are unworthy of legal respect ( Metaphysics 121 ) , like Rome in this play . U.S. Chief Justice Marshall tells us that the corporation is " an artifi- cial ...
... JUSTICE Political institutions lacking what Kant calls " distributive justice " are unworthy of legal respect ( Metaphysics 121 ) , like Rome in this play . U.S. Chief Justice Marshall tells us that the corporation is " an artifi- cial ...
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Complicity and Tragic Retribution | 11 |
Macbeth and the Reasonableness Standard in Law | 23 |
Copyright | |
12 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
accusers action Antony appear audience becomes body Caesar calls cause characters charge civil claim Cleopatra Coke Coke's committed common law complicated concerning contract Coriolanus corporation court crime criminal critics Croke death defendant effect element Eliz England English English common law evidence exists finds force give given guilty Hamlet Hegel hero human Institutes intent interest involved issue Judges justice Kant kill king king's land Lear letter London lovers Macbeth madness matter means mens mental metaphysical military moral murder nature Othello play play's political position present principle punishment question reason refers regards relationship remains remarks Renaissance Reports requires response restitution retribution revenge role Roman Rome Romeo rule seems sense Shakespeare slander social society stage standard statutes suggests theatrical theory Timon tion Titus tragedy tragic treat trial understanding vols witnesses