Stages of Evil: Occultism in Western Theater and Drama (Studies In Romance Languages)

The evil that men do has been chronicled for thousands of years on the European stage, and perhaps nowhere else is human fear of our own evil more detailed than in its personifications in theater. In Stages of Evil, Robert Lima explores the sociohistorical implications of Christian and pagan representations of evil and the theatrical creativity that occultism has engendered. By examining examples of alchemy, astronomy, demonology, exorcism, fairies, vampires, witchcraft, hauntings, and voodoo in prominent plays, Stages of Evil explores American and European perceptions of occultism from medieval times to the modern age.

"The evil that men do" has been chronicled for thousands of years on the European stage, and perhaps nowhere else is human fear of our own evil more detailed than in its personifications in theater. Early writers used theater to communicate human experiences and to display reverence for the gods governing daily life. Playwrights from Euripides onward sought inspiration from this interplay between the worldly and the occult, using human belief in the divine to govern characters' actions within a dramatic arena. The constant adherence to the supernatural, despite changing religious ideologies over the centuries, testifies to a deep and continuing belief in the ability of a higher power to interfere in human life. Stages of Evil is the first book to examine the representation and relationship of evil and the occult from the prehistoric origins of drama through to the present day. Drawing on examples of magic, astronomy, demonology, possession, exorcism, fairies, vampires, witchcraft, hauntings, and voodoo, author Robert Lima explores how theater shaped American and European perceptions of the occult and how the dramatic works studied here reflect society back upon itself at different points in history. From representations of Dionysian rites in ancient Greece, to the Mouth of Hell in the Middle Ages, to the mystical cabalistic life of the Hasidic Jews, to the witchcraft and magic of the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage, Lima traces the recurrence of supernatural motifs in pivotal plays and performance works of the Western tradition. Considering numerous myths and cultural artifacts, such as the "wild man," he describes the evolution and continual representation of supernatural archetypes on the modern stage. He also discusses the sociohistorical implications of Christian and pagan representations of evil and the theatrical creativity that occultism has engendered. Delving into his own theatrical, literary, folkloric, and travel experiences to enhance his observations, Lima assays the complex world of occultism and examines diverse works of Western theater and drama. A unique and comprehensive bibliography of European and American plays concludes the study and facilitates further research into the realm of the social and literary impact of the occult.

Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 I. The Matter of the Underworld......Page 22 1. The Mouth of Hell: Damnation on the Stage of the Middle Ages......Page 24 II. Metamorphoses of Gods......Page 56 2. The Masks of Harlequin: Daemonic Antecedents of the Commedia dell’Arte Character......Page 58 3. The Pagan Pluto: Touchstone of Celestina’s Magic in Tragicomedia de Calixto y Melibea......Page 94 III. Possession and Exorcism......Page 110 4. The Primal Spirit: Sacred Frenzy in Euripides’ Bacchae......Page 112 5. Rites of Passage: Metempsychosis, Possession, and Exorcism in S. An-Sky’s The Dybbuk......Page 128 6. The Savaged Mind: Voodoo Terror in Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones......Page 148 7. Satan in Salem: Sex as Grimoire in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible......Page 158 8. A Matter of Habit: The Politics of Demonic Hysteria in John Whiting’s The Devils......Page 170 9. The Prey of the Vampire: Malign Decadence in Francisco Nieva’s Nosferatu......Page 188 IV. Cauldron and Cave......Page 206 10. Wither’d and Wild: Witches of the Elizabethan and Jacobean Stages......Page 208 11. The Cave and the Magician: Chthonic Sanctuaries in Early European Drama......Page 236 Appendix: Bibliography of European and American Drama of the Occult......Page 282 A......Page 326 C......Page 327 E......Page 329 G......Page 330 H......Page 331 J......Page 332 M......Page 333 P......Page 335 R......Page 336 S......Page 337 T......Page 338 W......Page 339 Z......Page 340 "Stages of Evil is the first book to examine the representation and relationship of evil and the occult from the prehistoric origins of drama through to the present day. Drawing on examples of magic, astronomy, demonology, possession, exorcism, fairies, vampires, witchcraft, hauntings, and voodoo, author Robert Lima explores how theater shaped American and European perceptions of the occult and how the dramatic works studied here reflect society back upon itself at different points in history."--BOOK JACKET