University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2012 Staging Sodomy: Deviance and Devotion on the Early English Stage Bobby Ellis Pelts Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the Medieval Studies Commons Recommended Citation Pelts, Bobby Ellis, "Staging Sodomy: Deviance and Devotion on the Early English Stage" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 226. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/226 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. STAGING SODOMY: DEVIANCE AND DEVOTION ON THE EARLY ENGLISH STAGE A Thesis Presented for the Master of Arts Degree The University of Mississippi Department of English Bobby Pelts May 2012 Copyright © 2012 by Bobby Pelts All rights reserved. ABSTRACT This thesis is an examination of the multivalent category of sodomy in late medieval works of and about biblical drama: A Tretise of Miraclis Pleyinge, the York Joseph’s Trouble About Mary and the N-Town Passion plays. Because the Tretise of Miraclis Pleyinge invokes charges of sodomy in its attack on biblical drama, this work argues that the medieval stage is particularly hospitable to exploring the queer moments of Christian theology. Focusing on the sodomitic relationships of Christ’s life as they are revealed in York’s Joseph’s Trouble and the N-Town Passion sequences, this thesis argues that these plays problematize Christ’s legendary hostile relationship to the sin against nature.