Charming Politics: Magic and Power in Medieval and Early Modern Texts

Author

Grace Elaine McMahen

Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

English

First Advisor

Mary Hayes

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

In this thesis, 1 look at three works: The Sorcery Trial of Alice Kyieler, an account written in 1324 by Bishop Ledrede about his time in Ireland; Dr. Faustus, a play by- Christopher Marlowe published in 1604 but first performed in 1592: and The Tempest, a play written by William Shakespeare in 1610. 1 am reading these works as literary texts, even The Sorcery Trial of Alice Kyieler because of how a literary representation can reveal information about the subconscious and can speak m code about a subject, where historical texts do so to a lesser extent. 1 explore the relationship beUveen power and magic in these works and how magic can serve as a trope for politics and political power. I also show, in addition to the political nature of the works, how magic becomes demysified. The authors' portrayals of magic give readers a glimpse of how th^- view the world and use magic to comment upon it.

Recommended Citation

McMahen, Grace Elaine, "Charming Politics: Magic and Power in Medieval and Early Modern Texts" (2011). Honors Theses. 2376.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2376

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