Shakespeare and the Lower Register of Constitutional Thought

The great speech of Ulysses in Troilus and Cressida gives a conventional and orthodox view of the organic constitution, in which all is orderly and all are in their place. It is a view from above, from the upper end of society, from an upper register of thought. The purpose of this lecture is to draw out from selected plays a quite different view, one from below, one shared by the common people. This lower register of constitutional thought proves to be more authentic, grounded in social reality, and the key to understanding constitutionalism and constitutional history. Professor Denis Galligan, Professor of Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford will deliver this lecture as part of the new programme on Law, Film and Literature.