Constructing Monsters in Shakespeare's Drama and Early Modern Culture

Download or read book Constructing Monsters in Shakespeare's Drama and Early Modern Culture written by Mark Thornton Burnett and published by Springer. This book was released on 2002-10-28 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Constructing 'Monsters' in Shakespearean Drama and Early Modern Culture argues for the crucial place of the 'monster' in the early modern imagination. Burnett traces the metaphorical significance of 'monstrous' forms across a range of early modern exhibition spaces - fairground displays, 'cabinets of curiosity' and court entertainments - to contend that the 'monster' finds its most intriguing manifestation in the investments and practices of contemporary theatre. The study's new readings of Shakespeare, Marlowe and Jonson make a powerful case for the drama's contribution to debates about the 'extraordinary body'.