Power, Authority and the Law in Massinger's England

Abstract

<p>The trial scene in Renaissance drama provides the modern reader with an ideal means for examining the implicit structure of power that is demonstrated in a play's conflict. Read against a background of the contemporary Renaissance concern for power and authority and how both are expressed in contemporary concepts of law, the plays are comprehensible as expressions of Renaissance ideology. The Old Law, The Bondman, Believe as You List and The Fatal Dowry offer a variety of trial situations in a variety of dramatic contexts. Analysis of these plays provides a consistent view of elements of contemporary philosophical debate on the nature of power. An awareness of the power structure of these plays sparks an interest in examining the forces at work in our day.</p>