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The Jacobean Roman tragedies of Shakespeare and Jonson in their political context
Abstract
In my study of Shakespeare's and Jonson's Roman tragedies written during the first decade of the Jacobean period--Sejanus (1603), Antony and Cleopatra (1607), Coriolanus (1608) and Catiline (1611)--I adopt the New Historicist critical methodology of examining the relations between literary text and historical context. However, I have tried to avoid the extremist New Historicists' practice of considering historical materials prior to the text: instead, I have sought to place the literary text as foreground against which the historical context is backgrounded or at best to maintain a balance between foreground and background. I believe that Shakespeare and Jonson must have been well aware of the power of literature to construct their contemporaries' understanding of reality; and, for this purpose, they chose past political events from ancient Rome for their relevance to Jacobean topicalities. Focusing on both dramatists' inscription of current issues in their texts, I investigate the particularized political conditions through which King James's monarchical practices were perceived. The first chapter on Sejanus investigates the process in which the subversive Sejanus is ostracized by the authoritative force of Tiberius, who through his politics of ambiguity and the art of writing embodies the English people's expectations regarding their new King in 1603. The second chapter on Antony and Cleopatra demonstrates that Antony's amorous relationship with Cleopatra, which reflects the contemporary political corruption in James's court, is subversive to the health of the body politic represented by the politically more powerful Caesar. The third chapter on Coriolanus explores a theme of mutual distrust between political groups and the consequent production of political misfits, illuminating the contemporary discord between the Commons and the Crown. The fourth chapter on Catiline, in placing Cicero's persuasive rhetoric as the society's dominant ideology against Catiline's military absolutism, assesses the Jacobean opposition to militarism in favor of peaceful conflict resolution.
Subject Area
British and Irish literature
Recommended Citation
Kim, Yongtae, "The Jacobean Roman tragedies of Shakespeare and Jonson in their political context" (1994). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9513717.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9513717