Marlowe's medievalism: subversion and medieval literature in Christopher Marlowe's drama
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Date
2017
Authors
O'Halloran, Meadhbh Eibhlinn
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University College Cork
Published Version
Abstract
This thesis is the first sustained study of Christopher Marlowe’s strategic handling of medieval literature. This study identifies and explores Marlowe’s subversive use of a range of medieval material, both textual and cultural, in his dramas. In addition to identifying Marlowe’s medieval sources, this thesis also delineates how this material was used: to offer a subtle and subversive critique of the core principles of Elizabethan ideology. After first establishing Marlowe’s medieval sources, his “medieval library,” this study then explores the ultra-specific application of this material across Marlowe’s oeuvre. Close textual analysis of Marlowe’s seven plays is the main methodology utilised in this study, facilitating the discovery of Marlowe’s politic evocation of medieval literature. This thesis seeks to advance our understanding of Marlowe’s subversive theatre by identifying his unique and subversive medievalism.
Description
Keywords
Christopher Marlowe , Medieval literature , Early modern literature , Early modern drama
Citation
O'Halloran, M. E. 2017. Marlowe's medievalism: subversion and medieval literature in Christopher Marlowe's drama. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.