Sex, gender, and desire in the plays of Christopher Marlowe

by Sara Munson Deats

This important critique examines sex, gender, and sexuality as these phenomena were interpreted by Marlowe in four of his plays: Dido, Queene of Carthage; Tamburlaine I and II (treated as a single two-part drama); Edward II; and Doctor Faustus. Some facets of these plays explored in this study include the asymmetry of gender; the representation of gender as natural and universal or as discursively constructed; the reinforcement or subversion of traditional gender traits, gender principles, and gender structures; and the relationship of sex, gender, and sexuality, terms too often conflated in postmodern and early modern parlance. Through the application of feminist methodologies, informed by both postmodern theory and early modern history, author Sara Munson Deats discovers some valuable new treasure troves hidden among the infinite riches of Marlowe's little dramatic rooms.