Stages of Blood: Transformations and Interpretations in Early Modern Drama

Abstract

My thesis investigates the transformation of blood both as a physical substance and as a substance portrayed on the stage. During the 16th and early 17th Century, the scientific community moved further from considering blood as a substance of humoral significance and closer to understanding blood and its function in the scientific circulatory system. Examining drama written and performed between 1587 – 1606, I demonstrate that early modern drama also shifted its perception and performance of blood when attached to bodies and objects. Previously, literary scholars focus on blood’s singular connection with religion, gender, or the body politic in various early modern plays, or have investigated blood’s significance in particular places. In contrast, my study is concerned with the multi-faceted ways in which blood is signified and blood signifies varying character qualities and concerns. By also emphasizing the liminal space of the theatre, I reveal the ways in which the changing signification of blood in the theatrical space works in tandem with the scientific modifications happening outside it.