Ebook: Unnatural and Unconventional Liaisons in English Renaissance Drama : The Duchess of Malfi, Women Beware Women and ’Tis a Pity She’s a Whore

Friederike Schmiga studied English literature, linguistics and philosophy at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg and the University of Edinburgh. Her academic interests include the history of medieval philosophy and English Renaissance literature. She is currently doing research at the Università degli Studi di Bari and the KU Leuven with a doctoral project on the notion of intellectual curiosity in Augustine and its transformation in the thirteenth century. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface by Monika Fludernik Acknowledgement 1 Introduction 2 Unnatural and Unconventional Liaisons 2.1 Nature and Convention 2.2 Deviation and Transgression 2.3 Wives and Whores 3 The Duchess of Malfi 3.1 The Duchess and Antonio 3.1.1 The Duchess - A "Lusty Widow"? 3.1.2 Merit versus Birth 3.1.3 Antonio the "Misruler"? 4 Women Beware Women 4.1 The Ward and Isabella 4.1.1 Marriage Enforced 4.1.2 Disparity between the Spouses 4.1.3 Firmly in Hippolito's Hands 4.1.4 Isabella's Motivation 4.1.5 The Bride on Display 4.2 Isabella and Hippolito 4.2.1 Incest 4.2.2 Betrayed by Livia 4.2.3 Adultery 4.3 Leantio and Bianca 4.3.1 Leantio's Conception of the Marriage as Theft 4.3.2 Social Mobility 4.3.3 Bianca's Consent? 4.3.4 Too Much Restraint 4.3.5 Leantio's Extremeness 4.4 Bianca and the Duke 4.4.1 Caught in Livia's Trap 4.4.2 Violent Beginning 4.4.3 Bianca the "Strumpet"? 4.4.4 Moving into Marriage 4.5 Leantio and Livia 4.5.1 Livia's Downfall 4.5.2 Courtship or Purchase? 4.5.3 Livia - A "Lusty Widow"? 5 'Tis Pity She's a Whore 5.1 Giovanni and Annabella 5.1.1 Incest 5.1.2 Secret Marriage? 5.1.3 The Vow of Loyalty 5.1.4 Giovanni's "Idolatry" 5.2 Annabella and Soranzo 5.2.1 Betrayal of Hippolita 5.2.2 Marriage Enforced? 5.2.3 Annabella's Reversal 5.2.4 Soranzo's Character 6 Conclusion 7 References 7.1 Editions of the Plays 7.2 Bibliography Reihe Poetry, Music and Art - Band 7