Wri$ngthewhoreinEarlyModerndrama

HeatherFroehlich

UniversityofStrathclyde@heatherfro

Callingawomanawhoreis

•  Awayofkeeping“troublingindividualsgroupedintheirmarginalisedplaceandtoinsistthattheplaceisavulgar,degradedonefromwhichtheycanneverescape”

(Stanton2000,81)

Stanton(2000)looksateveryinstanceinShakespeare’splaysforthelemma

‘whore’

– Whore(45x)– Whore’s(2x)– Whores(8x)– Whoreish(1x)– Whoring(1x)– Whored(1x)– Bewhored(1x)

Sowhat?

•  Stantonusestwoancientandan$quatedpiecesoftechnologycalled‘aconcordance’and‘adic$onary’

•  Takethisapproach,WIDEN

ShakespeareComedies&CityComedies

•  Knownquan$tybaseline(Shakespeare’sComedies)

•  MostlyContemporaryplaysbyarangeofauthors(CityComedies)–  Jonson,Dekker,Middleton,Massinger,Sharpham,Chapman,Barry

Citycomedyisdefinedby

Londonse]ng,sociallyheterogeneouscharacters,trickery,mockery,socialmobility,moralambiguity…(Bruster2005,32)

Methods

1.  Getalistofwordsassociatedwith‘whore’fromtheHistoricalThesaurusoftheOED

2.  Makealistofrulestousefortext-taggingwithUbiqu+ity

3.  MeasurefrequenciesinbothShxcomediesandCityComedies

HistoricalThesaurusoftheOxfordEnglishDic$onary

hdp://historicalthesaurus.gla.ac.ukhdp://www.oed.com/thesaurus/(£)

society>morality>moralevil>licen$ousness>unchas$ty

Thereare10availablesubcategoriesrelevanttoissuesofunchas$ty

—[noun]—[adjec$ve]—[adverb]—[verb(intransi$ve)]—unchaste[verb(transi$ve)]—[phrase]—lasciviousnessorlust—lossofchas$ty—fornica$on,adultery,orincest—pros$tu$on

Historicaltermsforwhores:bythenumbers

•  1,497phrasesorindividuallexemesfor‘whores’ortheac$onofbeingwhorish

•  NarrowtothoseinuseduringShakespeare’slife(inusebetween1564-1616)– E.g.adultery(1stcitedbyOEDin1405)s$llinusebetween1564-1616

----->to304words

FiveWaysofTalkingaboutWhoresinShakespeareanEngland

1.  Thestateofbeingunchasteorawhore;waysofdescribingonewhoisunchasteorwhorishorassociateswithindividualswhoarewhores

2.  Sexualdesireandtheindulgenceoflust3.  Dishonourandnega$vityadachedtosexual

deviance(realorimagined)4.  Thelossofvirginity/fornica$on5.  Violence

Thestateofbeingunchasteorawhore(asample)

•  bitchery,brothel,brothels,brothelly,commonstale,commoners,commoner,community,crushabell,crushabells,cunts,cunt,curtal,curtals,customers,customer,doll-commoner,doll-commons,doll-common,drivelling,forwhore,hackster,hacksters,hackney,harlot,harlots,harlo$ng,harlo$ng,harlo$se,harlo$sed,harlo$ses,harlo$ze,harlo$zed,harlo$zes,harlotry,harlotry,hell-mouths,hell-mouth,hiren,hirens,incon$nence,incon$nency,incon$nent,jumblers,jumbler,keepawoman,land-frigate,light-heels,lighted-tailed,looseinthehilts,loose-legged,loose-tailed,mermaid,mermaids,miss,molls,moll,night-worm,night-worms,occupant,pagans,pagan,paphians,paphian,polecats,polecat,pros$tutes,pros$tute,pros$tuted,pros$tu$on,publiccommoners,walk-street,wenchout,wench,wenched,wenchel,wenchels,wenches,wenching,whore-lust,whore-lusts,whore-man,whore-men,whore,whoredom,whoreishness,whorekeeper,whorekeepers,whoremaser,whoremonger,whoremongering,whores,whoring,whorish,whorishly,whorishness,whory,ETC

Sexualdesireandtheindulgenceoflust(all)

•  By-lus$ng,cockish,cockishness,cocky,concuspiscen$al,covet,cove$ng,covetous,effeminate,flesh-lusts,flesh-lust,hot-backed,lascivient,lascivious,lascivity,lecher,lechers,lecherer,lecherhead,lecherness,lecherous,lecherous,lechery,libidinosity,libidious,libidiousness,liburical,lickering,lickerous,lickerousness,lickster,lubric,lubricity,lubricous,lust-breathed,lust,lus$ng,luster,lusuul,lusuulness,lus$head,lus$ness,lus$ness,lus$ng,lustly,lustre,lustylaurence,lustylawrence,luxe,luxur,luxurious,luxuriousness,luxurity,luxury,man-wood,rampant,ru]sh,salacity,saltness,saucy,togotosault,venerial,venerian,venerian,venerious,veneriousness,venerist

Dishonourandnega$vityadachedtosexualdeviance(realorimagined)(All)

•  afateworsethandeath,adulter,adulterate,adulterated,adulterer,adulterers,adulterise,adulterize,adulterous,adulterousness,adempt,adempter,behorn,byhore,bywhore,cornutecornuted,cornutes,cornuto,corrup$on,cuckally,cuckold-maker,cuckold,cuckoldry,cuckolds,cuckoldy,cuckquean,cuckqueans,defiler,dishonor,dishonored,dishonour,dishonoured,forked,foul,fulyie,horn-mad,horn-maker,horn,horned,horner,horning,hornity,ram-head,ruin,shame,spouse-break,spouse-breaking,togivehornsto,unconstant,unfaithful,vi$ate,vi$a$ng,vi$a$on,wedlock-break,wedlock-breaking,worsethandeath

LossofVirginity/Fornica$on(all)

•  bawding,bawdry,constupra$on,defile,deflora$on,deflourish,deflower,deflowerer,deflowering,defouling,depucel,depucelate,dedorate,devirginisa$on,devirginiza$on,devrginate,dismaiden,mackerelage,maintainer,panderage,pandering,panderirms

Violence(all)

•  rape,raped,raping,rapter,rapture,ravener,ravishment,ravishment,stupra$on,tup,unmaiden,unmaidening,viola$on,viola$on,violator,abuse,abuser

hdp://vep.cs.wisc.edu/ubiq/

Finding#1

•  Shakespeare’scomediesarefoundatthebodomofeachchart

Finding#2

•  RoaringGirl(Dekker/Middleton)•  TheFamilyofLove(Dekker/Middleton)

•  Cupid’sWhirligig(EdwardSharpham)•  MichaelmasTerm(Middleton)•  MadWorldmyMasters(Middleton)

WhyisRoaringGirlconsistentlyrankedhighly?

WhyisRoaringGirlconsistentlyrankedhighly?

TheFamilyofLoveAct4,Sc2TCPIDA07495

AChasteMaidinCheapside,Act5TCPIDA07493

•  HERMIAOme!Youjuggler,youcankerblossom,Youthiefoflove!What,haveyoucomebynightAndstolenmylove'sheartfromhim?HELENAFine,infaith.Haveyounomodesty,nomaidenshame,Notouchofbashfulness?What,willyoutearImpa$entanswersfrommygentletongue?Fie,fie,youcounterfeit,youpuppet,you!

AMidsummerNight’sDream(3.2.299-303)

•  PROSPEROThoumostlyingslave,Whomstripesmaymove,notkindness,Ihaveusedthee,filthasthouart,withhumanecare,andlodgedtheeinmineowncell,$llthoudidstseektoviolatethehonorofmychild.

(Tempest1.2.412-417)

Conclusions

•  Ihaveshownwiderviewofhowtheconceptofalackofchas$tyfunc$onsinShakespeare’sEngland.– 5uniquecategoriesofwhorishnesscoveringavarietyofcontexts

•  MoretermsthanStantoncankeeptrackof!

Conclusions

•  Andtestedonamorevariedcorpus•  Shakespeareandhiscontemporariesbothusetheseterms,butthereisvaria$on– CitycomediesaremorelikelytousethesetermsthanShakespeare’scomedies

Futuredirec$ons

•  Observevaria$onacrosslargerx-sec$onofcomedies– Changeover$me?– Periodicstyle?– Theatrecompanies?– Poten$almarkerforauthorship?

Thanks!