Anthea Ziermann, M.A.

Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin

Promotionsprojekt

Practices of the Occult in the Negotiation of Truth Claims on the Early Modern Stage

Compared to the situation on the continent, the persecution of magic in early modern England was a relatively mild affair. In this climate, academic discussions about witchcraft were able to flourish, and theatre, only recently institutionalised, equally benefited from the rich folklore and general interest in magical practices.

This study examines how such practices were portrayed on stage and how their representation related to the diverse views within population. It also investigates further which other themes are negotiated with the help of occult representations.

The primary material will be a corpus of Elizabethan and Jacobean plays by Shakespeare, Jonson, Middleton, Marlowe, and others. They all present different occult practices and practitioners in a broad spectrum of ways. This entices close reading, consideration of staging conditions, comparison, and, most importantly, questions. Which social dynamics did the playwrights pick up on when constructing their magicians, witches, fairies, and ghosts? What can we learn about the anxieties and hopes of their audience? In what ways does the role of magic influence the way we read these plays today?

The aim of my approach is to uncover patterns in representations of magical practices that can offer insights into the construction, performance, and reception of the chosen plays.

Vita

Seit 12/2024: Kollegiatin im GRK 2945 „Wissen – Glauben – Behaupten. Wahrheitsproduktion und Wahrheitsdurchsetzung in der Vormoderne“ an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum

10/2020-09/2024: Bachelorstudium in den Fächern Anglistik und Philosophie

10/2020-09/2023: Masterstudium in der Theaterwissenschaft an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum

10/2017-09/2020: Bachelorstudium in den Fächern Allgemeine und Vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft und Theaterwissenschaft an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum