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University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Dissertations 2020 “THE SKIPPING KING”: MASCULINITY AND EFFEMINACY IN EARLY MODERN DRAMA Danielle Johanna Sanfilippo University of Rhode Island, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss Recommended Citation Sanfilippo, Danielle Johanna, “THE" SKIPPING KING”: MASCULINITY AND EFFEMINACY IN EARLY MODERN DRAMA" (2020). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 1166. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/1166 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “THE SKIPPING KING”: MASCULINITY AND EFFEMINACY IN EARLY MODERN DRAMA BY DANIELLE JOHANNA SANFILIPPO A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2020 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION OF DANIELLE JOHANNA SANFILIPPO APPROVED: Dissertation Committee: Major Professor Travis Williams Jean Walton Rachel Walshe Nasser H. Zawia DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2020 Abstract This dissertation analyzes depictions of effeminacy and anxiety surrounding masculinity in early modern drama. Effeminacy is a frequently used term in the literature of the period, occurring seven times in Shakespeare alone. For my research, I combine literary analysis and performance criticism. I consulted the National Theatre Archives in London and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford to analyze performances of early modern plays. Effeminacy is a wide-reaching mode of being that makes several layers of meaning. For royals and men of rank, the presumption of effeminacy is a danger to the realm. In Roman historical drama, effeminacy stands in for the decay of the state of Rome, as well as offering implications for the early modern era in which the plays were written. But for youths and in comedy, effeminacy can be an anxiety-provoking but not always harmful phase that leads men from immaturity to maturity. Chapter One analyzes early modern conduct books in conjunction with Sir Philip Sidney’s The Old Arcadia. This chapter provides an overview of the standards of masculine behavior expected for noblemen. Chapter Two moves to a discussion of Renaissance appropriations of Roman history, with an analysis of William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra and Ben Jonson’s Sejanus His Fall. It builds on the discussion of gender expectations. Chapter Three continues the evaluation of historical drama by examining two English history plays, Shakespeare’s Richard II and Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II. By analyzing two English kings often described as effeminate, I interrogate the role of effeminacy in Renaissance audiences’ relationship to the monarchy. Finally, I consider what happens when effeminacy is played for laughs. In Chapter Four, I discuss two Shakespearean comedies, Love’s Labour’s Lost and As You Like It. I analyze the subjugation and humiliation of the male characters in these plays and discover how effeminacy can play a role in shaping adult male sexuality. Acknowledgments First, I would like to my thank my major professor, Dr. Travis Williams. Dr. Williams has been a wonderful source of scholarly mentorship and support throughout my eight years at the University of Rhode Island. I am especially grateful for his support in my decision to take a year of medical leave rather than struggling through immense pain to finish my dissertation. He stayed in contact with me and provided support on campus as I went through multiple hospitalizations and surgeries. His feedback on this project has been invaluable and my writing has become much sharper and clearer through his guidance. His presence and support helped me achieve the dream of a lifetime. I would also like to thank my committee members; Jean Walton, Rachel Walshe, Catherine Sama, and Carolyn Betensky for their scholarship and support as I finish this project. I am grateful for their feedback and kind words as I moved from exams to prospectus to dissertation defense. Michelle Caraccia provided emotional support and clarity for me when deadlines became confusing and overwhelming. She eagerly waited for news when I got out of surgery and welcomed me back to campus with warm hugs. Michelle saw me through triumphs and tough times and gave me strength to continue my journey. She will be missed, and I wish her a very happy retirement. I would like to thank URI’s Center for the Humanities for their generous support for this project. A Graduate Research Grant allowed me to visit London and Stratford to collect valuable archival evidence. Many thanks. iv I would like to acknowledge the generous and knowledgeable staff at the National Archives, London, and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford. You made a chilly January research trip into a highlight of the year. You found newspaper clippings, video footage, and even costume samples for me to consult. Thank you for your kind assistance. Sarah Enloe, Educational Director at the Blackfriars Playhouse, assisted me through several trips to the Blackfriars Conference. She also put me in touch with the fantastic Sarah Fallon for an interview. Thank you, Sarah Enloe, and I look forward to seeing you again at the next conference! Thank you again to Sarah Fallon for chatting with me and providing me with so many insights into playing Richard II and Cleopatra. Seeing you play Richard from a gallant stool on the Blackfriars stage was a theatrical experience that will stay with me forever. Thank you to my peers in the Graduate Writing Group, especially our organizer, Molly Hall. Your support and encouragement have been invaluable. I have loved reading your work and it has been so heartening to hear your comments on mine. Thank you to my grandmother, Josephine Sanfilippo, who helped raise me and has provided financial support throughout my doctorate. I’m so happy to make you proud by finally becoming a doctor. I love you, Nonna. Many, many thanks to my wonderful parents, Gerlando and Cheryl Sanfilippo, for their endless support. You have provided financial support for my academic career, and you have been my cheerleaders at almost every conference I have attended. Last year, you nursed me through a lengthy operation so that I could finish my degree v strong and healthy. I am always mindful of the sacrifices you made so that I could attend Mount Holyoke, and later Boston College. You have read countless papers and sat through many talks. I can’t wait to see you cheering me on at my defense. All my love, always. Finally, this section would not be complete without warm thanks to my beloved wife, Allison Krebs. I have lost track of the hours you have spent listening to me babble about performance, gender theory, and effeminacy. Through our conversations on these topics, I have become a much better scholar. You have read these chapters as they have emerged from my brain and given me your kind thoughts. Just as you promised on our wedding day, you have supported me generously and unselfishly as I have walked this difficult road. You have cleaned, dropped off laundry, and cooked for me. When I needed a distraction, you were right there with recommendations for Star Wars fanfiction or a movie night. You have hugged me and dried my tears when I thought I couldn’t do it. I love you so much and I can’t wait to start our next chapter! vi Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to Tom Hiddleston. Several years ago, I saw you as Prince Hal in The Hollow Crown. Watching you with Jeremy Irons in the scene which gives this dissertation its title, “The Skipping King,” I knew that my work would be incomplete without substantial performance analysis. The conflict between father and son, and the ghost of Richard’s effeminacy, became clear to me in a new way. In this project, I have tried to honor the performances from you and many other gifted actors with focused scholarship. That episode of The Hollow Crown has stayed with me through the years, whether as an inspiration for a new conference paper or a comfort when recovering from surgery. It has kept me going through this massive and often overwhelming project. Thank you, Tom Hiddleston, for helping me realize that “I am burdened with glorious purpose.” vii Table of Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………………………ii Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………………iv Dedication……………………………………………………………………………vi Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………viii Introduction: The Skipping King………………………………………………………1 Chapter 1: A Pastoral Excursion: Courtiers and Sidney’s The Old Arcadia………….15 Chapter 2: Classical Precedents: Roman Gender and Sexuality in Sejanus His Fall and Antony and Cleopatra……………………………………………….40 Chapter 3: Skipping Kings and Minions: Reading Edward II and Richard II………..74 Chapter 4: Masculinity and Painful Subjugation in Comedy: Love’s Labour’s Lost and As You Like It………………………………………………………110 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………..138 Endnotes……………………………………………………………………………..142 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………144 viii Introduction: The Skipping King The title for this dissertation is taken from a long speech in Shakespeare’s 1 Henry IV that has always followed me. I was struck by the venom with which I had seen an actor spit out the words and they stuck on the page as well. The line encapsulated the problems with masculinity that I outline in this study. King Henry has summoned his son, Prince Hal, to lecture him on his recent behavior and the low company he keeps. In the middle of this paternal lecture, the king compares his son unfavorably with the late Richard II, whom King Henry deposed. Richard’s name is not even mentioned for many lines; instead, he is referred to as “the skipping king” (3.2.60). Henry’s chief complaint against his royal cousin mirrors his current problem with Hal; Richard kept bad company and did not behave correctly.

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