The Paradoxes of Intimacy in Early Modern Drama

The Paradoxes of Intimacy in Early Modern Drama
By:
Published on 2007 by ProQuest

During the early modern period intimacy was neither well-defined nor discussed in the drama in the way that we do today. My dissertation is an examination of the paradoxical nature of intimacy in Renaissance drama and the impact of space on this intimacy. I am looking at the behavior of married couples and same-sex couples within the home during the early modern period. To elucidate my theory of intimacy I have chosen the plays: Christopher Marlowe's Edward II, Thomas Heywood's A Woman Killed With Kindness, William Shakespeare's Cymbeline, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, and John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi. Intimacy in my dissertation is different from two people being alone or the idea of privacy. Intimacy is based as well as promises knowledge of self, loved ones (wife/friend), of social hierarchy (status relations). In all of the chosen plays women are victims within their homes. In almost all of the plays the heroine dies and the husband or male kin is directly or indirectly responsible for her death.

This Book was ranked 21 by Google Books for keyword define intimacy.