King and corpus: Performance and monarchy in early modern drama.

摘要

This dissertation explores the intersection of the discourses of sovereignty with theatrical performance of sovereignty in early modern English drama. It examines the ways plays engage various theories of rulership and rebellion in critical dialogue. As the public stage refigures Common Law articulations of social contract between subject and sovereign, theatrical depictions not only interrogate the role of the monarch, but also actively participate in the redefinition of the relationship between ruler and subjects, suggesting that sovereign power should be based on popular acceptance and not merely on lineage or divine authorization.;The Introduction argues that early modern texts frequently characterize rule in theatrical terms, ascribing a crucial performative element to political power. It surveys this discursive thread in light of Michael Braddick and John Walter's analysis of political power as requiring negotiation through conformity to social expectations, and it defines a contemporary socio-political context comprised of constitutional law, political discourses, and theatrical practices, drawing upon recent scholarship and period documents, including speeches, pamphlets, and tracts. Subsequent chapters analyze "performative negotiation" in plays that portray dramatic violations of authority. Chapter One discusses Marlowe's Edward II as portraying failed monarchical performance arising from willful royal abuse of privilege. By contrast, Chapter Two argues that Shakespeare's Henry VI plays portray virtue and piety as equally threatening to the performative negotiation necessary for successful rule. Chapter Three considers Richard II as an exploration of two opposing conceptions of monarchy: divine right and popular designation. Similarly, Chapter Four considers Macbeth as an interrogation of different modes of succession, contrasting popular election with primogeniture and combining them in the idealized figure of Malcolm. The final chapter discusses Beaumont and Fletcher's The Maid's Tragedy as an allegorical portrayal of the necessity for tyrannicide when the state is threatened by the monarch's misrule.