Thomas Middleton and the Plural Politics of Jacobean Drama

Mark Kaethler

Published by Medieval Institute Publications 2021

Thomas Middleton and the Plural Politics of Jacobean Drama

Mark Kaethler

In the series Late Tudor and Stuart Drama

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501513763

Overview
Contents

About this book

Thomas Middleton and the Plural Politics of Jacobean Drama represents the first sustained study of Middleton’s dramatic works as responses to James I’s governance. Through examining Middleton’s poiesis in relation to the political theology of Jacobean London, Kaethler explores early forms of free speech, namely parrhēsia, and rhetorical devices, such as irony and allegory, to elucidate the ways in which Middleton’s plural art exposes the limitations of the monarch’s sovereign image. By drawing upon earlier forms of dramatic intervention, James’s writings, and popular literature that blossomed during the Jacobean period, including news pamphlets, the book surveys a selection of Middleton’s writings, ranging from his first extant play The Phoenix (1604) to his scandalous finale A Game at Chess (1624). In the course of this investigation, the author identifies that although Middleton’s drama spurs political awareness and questions authority, it nevertheless simultaneously promotes alternative structures of power, which manifest as misogyny and white supremacy.

Author information

Mark Kaethler, Medicine Hat College, Alberta, Canada.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	XI
Illustrations Publicly Available Download PDF	XIII
Introduction: Thomas Middleton’s Plural Politics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 1. “He that knows how to obey, knows how to reign”: James as The Phoenix Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	43
Chapter 2. “And in all times, may this day ever prove / A day of triumph, joy and honest love”? The Witch and the Overbury Trials Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	73
Chapter 3. “Two ways at once”: The World Tossed at Tennis and the Thirty Years War Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	111
Chapter 4. “If this be virtue’s path, ’tis a strange one”: A Game at Chess’s Competing Histories Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
Conclusion: “Use but your royal hand” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	193
Works Cited Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	199
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	219

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Medieval Institute Publications
Audience: Medievalists, scholars of Theatre Studies and Political Studies
Pages
- Front matter: 13
- Main content: 223
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 4
Keywords: Thomas Middleton; Politics; Drama; Theater; Governance; Gender

eBook

Published: May 10, 2021
ISBN: 9781501513763

Hardcover

Published: May 10, 2021
ISBN: 9781501518195