Tuesdays, 8.15. A Seminar aimed at MA students.
Texts produced by Christian writers in medieval England display a range of responses to adherents of other religions. In Old English literature, pre-Christian heroes like Beowulf can be admired for their courage and strength, while heathen Viking invaders are terrifying instruments of the wrath of God. Jewish prophets are appropriated by Christian writers at the same time as Jews are attacked for their ‘failure’ to recognize Christ. The expulsion of the Jews from England left a gap that came to be filled by a curious antagonist figure, nominally a ‘Jew’, but one who swears by ‘Mahound’. As proto-Protestant movements gained prominence in late-medieval England, this curiously hybrid religious antagonist came to stand for all who did not believe Catholic doctrine, particularly concerning the Eucharist. The Croxton Play of the Sacrament is a sensational piece of late-medieval drama involving severed limbs, exploding ovens, and cauldrons overflowing with blood. It is the only host miracle play to survive in English, although it has continental analogues which invite comparison: its theatrical Jews are precursors to Marlowe’s Barabbas and of course Shakespeare’s Shylock. But Marlowe’s Jew of Malta is equally concerned with the historical threat presented by the Ottoman invasions of Europe: for historical reasons, in early modern England Jews and Muslims then come to be presented as distinct figures, no longer simply ‘non-Catholics’, but still often objects of envy and fear.
Learning outcomes:
- Enseignant·e: Elisabeth Dutton