"Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, you do me mischief": the representation of rape and threatened rape in Shakespeare's works.

Mann, Katharine Hannah (2023). "Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, you do me mischief": the representation of rape and threatened rape in Shakespeare's works. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Shakespeare returned to the theme of rape on a number of occasions throughout his career, but only "Titus Andronicus" and "The Rape of Lucrece" include a rape within the narrative context. This study will examine the representation of rape in the context of the Early Modern understanding of the concept. The study will show that Shakespeare metaphorically represents the rapes of Lavinia in "Titus Andronicus" and Lucrece in "The Rape of Lucrece" and that these metaphors are repeatedly reflected in later works which include a theme of threatened rape, giving currency to the threat and introducing the possibility of a tragic outcome. A key point of originality in this study is that it will show that the narrative of the four lovers in A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comic re-working of the rape plot in "Titus Andronicus".

This work will also examine how contemporary complaints of rape reflected the evidential requirements of the hue and cry process, and will show that knowledge of this process contributed to the Early Modern concept of rape. A key point of originality within this work is that it will show that Shakespeare establishes rape and threatened rape within the contemporary context of the hue and cry process, and that this signposts the audience and reader of texts which include a threatened rape to expect that a rape will occur.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):