Memory and Forgetting in English Renaissance Drama Shakespeare, Marlowe, Webster

Examining sixteenth and seventeenth century conceptions of memory and forgetting, this study demonstrates their importance to the drama and culture of the time. Garrett A. Sullivan discusses memory and forgetting in terms of which a variety of behaviors--from seeking salvation to pursuing vengeance to succumbing to desire--are conceptualized. Focusing on works such as Macbeth, Hamlet, Dr. Faustus and The Duchess of Malfi, he reveals memory and forgetting to be dynamic cultural forces central to early modern understandings of embodiment, selfhood and social practice.