Synopses & Reviews
The classical witch and infanticide Medea was a figure of potent interest to early modern English authors, and she was adapted or alluded to by a wealth of major and lesser-known writers in the period, including Shakespeare, Jonson, Spenser, James Shirley and Robert Greene. Medea's story was a significant one for early modern translators, but the bloody revenge she takes on her faithless husband Jason also fascinated authors of tragedy, political writing and even comedy. This is the first book-length study of early modern English approaches to Medea, in the period 1558 -1688. Encompassing poetry, prose and drama, and translation, tragedy, comedy and political writing, this book explores how early modern authors were at once fascinated and repelled by Medea's terrible power, and how they sought not only to represent but also to negotiate her ruthless cruelty, to caution and to entertain their readers and audiences.
Synopsis
This is the first book-length study of early modern English approaches to Medea, the classical witch and infanticide who exercised a powerful sway over literary and cultural imagination in the period 1558-1688. It encompasses poetry, prose and drama, and translation, tragedy, comedy and political writing.
About the Author
Katherine Heavey is a university teacher in Early Modern English Literature at the University of Glasgow, UK. From 2010 to 2012, she held a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at Newcastle University. She has published a number of articles on various aspects of early modern studies.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Medieval Medea
2. Translating Medea
3. Tragic Medea
4. Comic Medea
5. Political Medea
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index