“She that hath wit may shift anywhere”: Women and Wit in Thomas Middleton’s 'A Mad World', 'My Masters' and 'No Wit No Help Like A Woman’s'
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Date
2011
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Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Abstract
This thesis considers Thomas Middleton’s female trickster figures using A Mad World, My Masters, and No Wit No Help Like a Woman’s as example plays. I argue that by having his female characters successfully live by their wits, using their wit to manipulate custom in their intrigues, Middleton allots his women, who are not formally educated, a sophisticated understanding of social and gender politics. This level of understanding requires the women to possess a substantial amount of inherent intelligence and reason, offering a view of women’s capacity for intelligence that diverges considerably from traditional early modern English views.
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Keywords
Thomas Middleton, Wit, Female tricksters