Mother Queens and Princely Sons Rogue Madonnas in the Age of Shakespeare [Hardcover]

This study explores representations of the Madonna and Child in early modern culture. It considers the mother and son as a conceptual, religio-political unit and examines the ways in which that unit was embodied and performed. Of primary interest is the way mothers derived agency from bearing incipient rulers.Madonna, Child and Early Modern Accolated Bodies 'Above God himselfe': The Rogue Madonna and Her Daughter Queens 'A joyful mother of two goodly sons': The Madonna of Ephesus and Her Disruptive Twins 'So troubled with the mother': The Politics of Pregnancy in The Duchess of Malfi 'Partner[s] of Greatness': The Madonnas of Macbeth 'A shall not tread on me': Motherless Boys from Titus Andronicus to The Winter's Tale

'A fascinating study that deals with an aspect of early modern Marian imagery in theatrical contexts that has not yet been explored. This work is an important contribution to the ongoing scholarly consideration of Marian theatrical invocations.' - Regina Buccola, associate professor of English, Roosevelt University, USA

Sid Ray is a professor of English and Women s and Gender Studies at Pace University.