Women Waging Law in Elizabethan England

Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History

by Tim Stretton, John Guy (Editor), Anthony Fletcher (Editor)

This book examines gender relations in Shakespeare's England by looking at women's involvement in lawsuits in the largest courts in the land. It describes women's rights in theory and in practice, considers depictions of women in court scenes in plays, and analyzes the language and tactics women and their lawyers employed in pleadings. The book also reveals how many women went to law, how active they were, the discrimination they suffered, and the importance of the life cycle of marriage in determining their legal fortunes.

292 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 1998

Reviews

[Flynn Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good scholarship. Just not the kind of scholarship I’m brave enough to wade into with much gusto.