Posts with the tag ‘spousals’


Dig into 1604 canon law and the bawdy courts of Shakespeare’s time

Measure for Measure holds clues to Shakespeare’s awareness of how church marriage laws affected Jacobean audiences . . Cassidy Cash, host of the podcast, That Shakespeare Life, recently interviewed Cynthia Greenwood about her close study of Measure for Measure, and her research into the way in which Shakespeare’s audiences of 1604 found themselves in the crosshairs of the church courts if they entered into an informal marriage, a practice that had been considered legal for centuries under English common law. In this episode Cynthia explores a revision to canon law in 1604 and how the plot of Measure for Measure suggests Shakespeare’s own awareness of how the law affected ordinary Jacobean citizens. As quoted on ‘That Shakespeare Life’ (Episode 276) at CassidyCash.com: If you… Read More…


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