Please join the Renaissance Workshop

Monday, November 27th, when

Elisha Hamlin

Graduate of the MAPH program, University of Chicago
presents the paper

“‘Cruel, Irreligious Piety’: Eucharistic Tropes and Witnessing Whiteness in Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus”
MONDAY, November 27th

5:00-6:30pm

Rosenwald 301
*please note the different room*

The paper, to be read in advance, has been distributed to the Renaissance Workshop mailing list and is available on our website under the password “eucharist.” Light refreshments will be served.

Abstract:

While the excessive and chaotic violence of Titus Andronicus may distinguish it from Shakespeare’s broader body of work, this thesis examines how that violence echoes the presentations of the Eucharist in medieval mystery plays. These sacramental tropes are not passive elements of the story, but rather rituals activated by the Andronici in their struggle to assert a dominant picture of Roman identity. While largely removed from its theological significance, the Eucharist as trope offers a specific pattern of presentation that the characters draw upon to display a version of Roman piety tied to performative whiteness in contrast to the black characters of the play, witnessed to by both the other characters in the play and Shakespeare’s early modern audience.

If you would like to join our mailing list, please click here. We are committed to making our workshop accessible to all persons. Questions, requests, and concerns should be directed to Andrés Irigoyen (airigoyen@uchicago.edu) or Alyssa Mulé (amule@uchicago.edu).