Hirsch, BD orcid.org/0000-0002-6231-2080 (2005) An Italian Werewolf in London: Lycanthropy and The Duchess of Malfi. Early Modern Literary Studies, 11 (2). 2. 43-paragraphs. ISSN 1201-2459
Abstract
In an England where wolves were effectively extinct - except for a few tired specimens kept for the occasional Royal viewing in the Tower Menagerie - and where reports of werewolves had to be imported from the Continent, John Webster penned the lycanthrope Ferdinand into The Duchess of Malfi. This article explores the theological, philosophical, and medical perceptions of lycanthropy in early modern European thought in an effort to reconcile Webster's unique choice with the wider concerns of his time, namely: the precarious boundaries between animal and human, male and female, body and soul, sanity and madness, good and evil. This paper suggests that by doing so we may shed some light on the reasons behind Webster's construction of the only werewolf realized on the Jacobean stage, as well as demonstrating how an understanding of the liminal figure of the werewolf enriches our appreciation of the play.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of English (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Sep 2017 12:36 |
Last Modified: | 06 Sep 2017 12:36 |
Published Version: | http://extra.shu.ac.uk/emls/11-2/hirswere.htm |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Early Modern Literary Studies |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:120470 |