Shakespeare's Curse

<p>Conceptualizing the curse as the representation of a foundational mythical violence that is embedded within juridical discourse <em>Shakespeare’s Curse</em> pursues a reading of <em>Richard III King John </em>and <em>King Lear </em>in order to analyse the persistence of imprecations in the discourses of modernity. Shakespeare wrote during a period that was transformative in the development of juridical thinking. However taking up the relationship between theatre theology and law Bjoern Quiring argues that the curse was not eliminated from legal discourses during this modernization of jurisprudence; rather it persisted and to this day continues to haunt numerous speech acts. Drawing on the work of Derrida Lacan Walter Benjamin and Giorgio Agamben among others Quiring analyses the performativity of the curse and tracks its power through the juristic themes that are pursued within Shakespeare’s plays – such as sovereignty legitimacy succession obligation exception and natural law. Thus this book provides an original and important insight into early modern legal developments as well as a fresh perspective on some of Shakespeare’s best-known works. </p><p>A fascinating interdisciplinary study this book will interest students and scholars of Law Literature and History.</p>