Drama and the Sacraments in Sixteenth-Century England: Indelible Characters (Early Modern Literature in History)

Drama and the Sacraments in Sixteenth-Century England is the first book-length study of the relationship between early modern drama and sacramental ritual and theology. The book examines a range of dramatic forms, including morality plays, Tudor interludes and the Elizabethan professional stage. Offering new insights into the religious practices on which early modern subjectivity is founded, David Coleman both uncovers neglected texts and documents, and offers radical new ways of reading canonical Renaissance plays. Eros And Poetry At The Court Of Mary Queen Of Scots And James Vi Examines The Erotics Of Literary Desire At The Stewart Court In Scotland During The Reigns Of Mary Queen Of Scots And James Vi. Encompassing The Period From The Early 1560s To The Late 1590s, This Is The First Study To Link Together Scottish Marian And Jacobean Court Literature, Presenting A Relatively Unknown Body Of Writing, Newly Theorized And Contextualized. It Argues That In This Period Erotic Poetry Can Only Be Considered In Relation To The Figure Of The Monarch, And That The Formation Of Elite Lyric Culture Takes Place Under The Shaping Influence Of Desire For, And Against, The Sovereign, And Her Or His 'passional' And Symbolic Powers.--jacket. Introduction: Amorous Histories -- From Marian To Jacobean Eros -- Pt. 1. The Marian Period. 1. Feminine Eros: Mary Queen Of Scots And The Emergence Of Desire. 2. Demonic And Angelic Women: The Erotics Of Renunciation And Mariology In The Bannatyne Manuscript -- Pt. 2. The Jacobean Period. 3. Fables Of Eros: James Vi And The Revelation Of Desire. 4. Devotional Artefacts: John Stewart And The Eroticisation Of The Courtly. 5. Love's Altar: Alexander Montgomerie And The Erotics Of Representation. 6. Heretical Love-words: The Poetry Of William Fowler. Conclusion: Love's End. Sarah M. Dunnigan. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "A Roman triumph was the procession of a victorious general through the city. The festivity combined religious thanksgiving, political legitimation, and carnival release. Early modern England, from the Armada period of the 1580s to the Cromwellian Protectorate in the 1650s, revived and appropriated the Roman model in a wide variety of forms. The result is a characteristic product of early modern culture." "English use of the triumph included ceremonies, stage performances, and poetic or pictorial representations. This book gives particular attention to the researches of humanist antiquarians, the vigorous tradition of pamphlet triumphs, and the literary or dramatic versions produced by Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Marvell and Milton, as well as by non-canonical writers. It discloses the ways in which all these texts are implicated in contemporary political conflicts and discourses. The book also discusses adaptations such as the subversive triumph of love, the paradoxical triumph of peace, and Christian triumphs of humility and patience."--Jacket "The advent of relatively cheap printed editions of verse in the mid-sixteenth century produced an explosion of verse, much of which represented the first-person speaker as a version of the author. This book examines the way in which writers, often seeking advancement in their careers, harnessed the powers of verse and print for self-promotional purposes. Close attention to the self-constructions of these writers reveals conflicts and contradictions in available models of the self, as well as doubts about the powers of verse to express the inner self. Texts studied include: an extraordinary manuscript autobiography by Thomas Whythorne; printed verse by a woman, Isabella Whitney; an erotic romance by George Gascoigne, hailed as the first 'novel' in English; little-known but memorable narratives of travel to Russia and Africa, and of the experience of war; and more canonical works by Spenser, Sidney and Shakespeare."--Jacket Eros and Poetry examines the erotics of literary desire at the Stewart court in Scotland during the reigns of Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI. Encompassing the period from the early 1560s to the late 1590s, this is the first study to link together Scottish Marian and Jacobean court literatures, presenting a relatively unknown body of writing, newly theorized and contextualized. It argues that in this period erotic poetry can only be considered in relation to the figure of the monarch, and that the formation of elite lyric culture takes place under the shaping influence of desire for, and against, the sovereign, and her or his 'passional' and symbolic powers Discussing The Relationship Between Early Modern Drama And Sacramental Ritual And Theology, This Title Examines A Range Of Dramatic Forms, Including Morality Plays, Tudor Interludes And The Elizabethan Professional Stage. Sacramental Communities In Pre-reformation England: The Croxton Play Of The Sacrament -- John Bale And The Politicisation Of Sacramentality -- Mid-tudor Drama And Sacramental Reform -- Interrogating Sacramentality: The Drama Of Christopher Marlowe -- Sinful Subjects: Shakespearean Sacramentality. David Coleman. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 158-172) And Index. Cover 1 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 9 Introduction 10 1 Sacramental Communities in Pre-Reformation England: The Croxton “Play of the Sacrament” 20 2 John Bale and the Politicisation of Sacramentality 44 3 Mid-Tudor Drama and Sacramental Reform 69 4 Interrogating Sacramentality: The Drama of Christopher Marlowe 100 5 Sinful Subjects: Shakespearean Sacramentality 120 Afterword 140 Notes 143 Bibliography 167 Index 182 A 182 B 182 C 183 D 183 E 183 F 184 G 184 H 184 I 185 J 185 K 185 L 185 M 185 N 186 O 186 P 186 Q 187 R 187 S 187 T 188 U 189 V 189 W 189 Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-10 Sacramental Communities in Pre-Reformation England: The Croxton “Play of the Sacrament”....Pages 11-34 John Bale and the Politicisation of Sacramentality....Pages 35-59 Mid-Tudor Drama and Sacramental Reform....Pages 60-90 Interrogating Sacramentality: The Drama of Christopher Marlowe....Pages 91-110 Sinful Subjects: Shakespearean Sacramentality....Pages 111-130 Afterword....Pages 131-133 Back Matter....Pages 134-180 This is the first book-length study of the relationship between early modern drama and sacramental ritual and theology. It examines dramatic forms, such as morality plays. Offering new insights into the religious practices on which early modern subjectivity is founded. Coleman offers radical new ways of reading canonical Renaissance plays. This book is a scholarly examination of the relationship between sacramental controversy and dramatic production in sixteenth-century England