1403976546ts01.qxd 12-1-07 02:48 PM Page i Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature before Heterosexuality 1403976546ts01.qxd 12-1-07 02:48 PM Page ii Previously Published: Colonial Transformations: The Cultural Production of the New Atlantic World 1580–1640, Palgrave, 2000. 1403976546ts01.qxd 12-1-07 02:48 PM Page iii Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature before Heterosexuality Rebecca Ann Bach 1403976546ts01.qxd 12-1-07 02:48 PM Page iv SHAKESPEARE AND RENAISSANCE LITERATURE BEFORE HETEROSEXUALITY © Rebecca Ann Bach, 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2007 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™ 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN-13: 978–1–4039–7654–3 ISBN-10: 1–4039–7654–6 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bach, Rebecca Ann. Shakespeare and Renaissance literature before heterosexuality / by Rebecca Ann Bach. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Contents: Before heterosexuality—The homosocial King Lear : sex, men, and women before the valorization of lust and greed—Restoration Shakespeare 1: adultery and the birth of heterosexuality—Restoration Shakespeare 2: friends and libertines—“Domestic tragedy” and emerging heterosexuality—Othello in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the colonial origins of heterosexuality. ISBN 1–4039–7654–6 (alk. paper) 1. English drama—Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500–1600—History and criticism. 2. Heterosexuality in literature. 3. English drama—17th century–History and criticism. 4. Heterosexuality—England—History. 5. Shakespeare,William, 1564—1616—Criticism and interpretation. 6. Sex in literature. 7. Adultery in literature. 8. Lust in literature. I. Title. PR658.H44B33 2007 822’.309353—dc22 2006051371 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: April 2007 10987654321 Printed in the United States of America. 1403976546ts01.qxd 12-1-07 02:48 PM Page v For Julia This page intentionally left blank 1403976546ts01.qxd 12-1-07 02:48 PM Page vii Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Before Heterosexuality 1 1 The Homosocial King Lear: Sex, Men, and Women before the Valorization of Lust and Greed 25 2 Restoration Shakespeare 1: Adultery and the Birth of Heterosexuality 49 3 Restoration Shakespeare 2: Friends and Libertines 81 4 “Domestic Tragedy” and Emerging Heterosexuality 107 5 Othello in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries and the Colonial Origins of Heterosexuality 153 Notes 183 Bibliography 211 Index 237 This page intentionally left blank 1403976546ts01.qxd 12-1-07 02:48 PM Page ix Acknowledgments am fortunate to have a long list of institutions, colleagues, friends, and family to thank for their contributions (witting Iand unwitting) to this book. Without the boon of a year-long National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship at the Newberry Library, I would never have had either the resources or the time to write it. My year at the Newberry (2000–2001) was a delight from start to finish. The staff provided materials, guidance, and general col- legiality in all situations, including an initiatory emergency room visit. Despite my disturbing the peace that way, the staff embraced me from the beginning of my year to the end. Thanks so much to Jim Grossman, Sara Austin, and Hjordis Halvorson, among others. No one at the Newberry was ever anything but a huge help. I could not have accepted that grant from the NEH without the kind cooperation and the sabbatical leave provided by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In addition, my Dean at UAB provided a grant for travel to the Furness Shakespeare library at the University of Pennsylvania as well as the subvention that enabled me to index the book. I very much appreciate that support. I did the preliminary research for the book and additional research and writing at Furness. Furness and the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Rare Book Library at Penn are glorious places to work, thanks to the depth and breadth of their collections and to their superb staff. I owe thanks in particular to John Pollack, Dan Traister, and Lynne Farrington, who have so amply supported my work over the years. Work at these libraries was made wonderful as well by the people working alongside me. The group of scholars at the Newberry with me fertilized my scholarship and provided care and support as well as extracurricular enrichment. For lunches, dinners, conversations, baseball games, shoe shopping, and general fun, I want to thank April Alliston, Catherine Brown, Alan Frantzen, David Gants, Deborah Kanter, Victoria Kirkham, Ellen McClure, Peggy McCracken, and Carolyn Podruchny. At Furness, I often worked across two desks 1403976546ts01.qxd 12-1-07 02:48 PM Page x x Acknowledgments from Beth McGowan. Sharing work space, living space, and childcare in summers with her has vastly improved my life and work and even saved my sanity when times were very rough. I owe my ability to keep working to her. Conferences and workshops also enriched this project immeasur- ably. The University of Chicago Renaissance Workshop invited me to present an earlier version of chapter 5, and our energetic discussion, especially with Richard Strier, helped me to think through objections to the project. Over the years, I have presented a number of other pieces from the book and related work at conferences of the Group for Early Modern Cultural Studies, the Shakespeare Association, and at the Waterloo Elizabethan Theatre conference. I thank the audiences at those conferences, whose questions have helped me to develop my ideas. Thanks are due also to the participants in my seminar “Early Modern Texts and the History of Sexuality” at SAA in 2001. I want to thank especially the group of Renaissance women who have traveled, roomed, and eaten with me through these last ten years or so: Mary Bly, Alison Chapman, Julie Crawford, Kim Hall, Liz Hanson, Natasha Korda, Beth, Mary Janell Metzger, and Cristine Varholy. A larger community of Shakespeareans and scholars has embraced my work, shared ideas, and kept me from too many bloopers—all that remain are certainly my own. I thank Mario DiGangi, Fran Dolan, George Haggerty, Jean Howard, Lynne Magnusson, Jeffrey Masten, Susan O’Malley, Nick Radel, Rick Rambuss, Peter Stallybrass, Goran Stanivukovic, Valerie Traub, and Ginger Vaughan. Scholarly debts to them and to many others are recorded in the text and notes, but I also very much appreciate their personal encouragement as I labored to get this book right. My most significant scholarly debt is, as always, to Phyllis Rackin—her intellect and imagination have inspired and guided me from the start. Many of my colleagues in the English department at UAB have cheered me on, read my chapters, and offered me their professional and personal strength. For crucial assistance and administrative know-how, I thank my two great department chairs—Marilyn Kurata and Elaine Whitaker. I also thank Tracey Baker for her generosity and for conversations about administration and children’s books. Randy Blythe and Bob Collins have been supermen when I needed them most. Dan Butcher has been a wonderful across-the-hall neighbor, and I much appreciate my conversations with Jody Stitt. Cassandra Ellis, Danielle Glassmeyer, Randa Graves, Sue Kim, Cynthia Ryan, Danny Siegel, and Gale Temple have been great friends and colleagues, and 1403976546ts01.qxd 12-1-07 02:48 PM Page xi Acknowledgments xi I do not think I will ever pay my personal and professional debts to Alison. She has read every word that I have written (and improved every sentence); she has listened endlessly through bright and very dark days; she is the best colleague and friend I could imagine. My students at UAB have listened patiently while I rehearsed all the ideas in this book in my classes. They have pushed me to think about texts in entirely new ways—I am very grateful. I need to thank especially my research assistant, Miranda Wade, and a group of quite remarkable students including, but by no means limited to, Monica Bland, Andy Blanks, Vic Camp, Lucy Dorn, Geoff Evans, Ron Guthrie, Heather Helms, Molly Hurley, Clay Isbell, Carolyn Lam, Natalie McCall, Josh Moore, Sarah Ray, Adrianne Roberts, Catherine Roth, Sarah Noel Sheffield, Jason Slatton, Monica Ssenkoloto, Madison Stubblefield, Adam Vines, and all of the students in my honors History of Sexuality course. This book reached maturity during immensely challenging years. I thank my friends and family and Lee Ascherman so much for helping me through. I have thanked Beth above but never enough. I want to also thank Marni Bonnin and David Lee, Louise Cecil, Deborah Feingold, Vance Lehmkuhl, Carol Neuman, Nancy Sokolove, Marc Stein, and Cindy Way. Many thanks are due to Warren and Annie Weisberg, our loving Chicago family, and also to our amazing extended New York family, Steve and Carolyn Ellman, Delia and Eugene Mahon, and Lynne Rubin. I am grateful for the love and sup- port of Brendan Helmuth, and Eric Helmuth and Judy Filc (my friend and now my sister-in-law as well). I owe so much to my beloved father and mother, Sheldon Bach and Phyllis Beren, and to my brother, Matthew. Julia Alison Bach is the most amazing girl in the world— Julia, this one is for you.