Shakespeares Body Language

Why do the Capulets bite their thumbs at the Montagues? Why do the Venetians spit upon Shylocks Jewish gaberdine? What is it about Volumnias act of kneeling that convinces Coriolanus not to assault the city of Rome? Shakespeares Body Language is a ground-breaking new study of Shakespearean drama, revealing the previously unseen history of social tensions found within the performance of gestures and how such gestures are used to shame those within the body politic of early modern England. The first full study of shaming gestures in Shakespearean drama, this book establishes how shame is often rooted in the gendered expectations of the Renaissance era. Exploring how the performance of gestures such as figging, the cuckolds horns, and even the in-action of stillness created shaming spectacles on the early modern stage and its wider society, Shakespeares Body Language argues that gestures are embodied social metaphors which epitomise the personal as political. It reveals the tensions of everyday life as key motivators behind the actions of Shakespeares characters, and considers how honour and its opposite, shame, are constructed in terms of gender norms. Featuring in-depth analyses of plays across Shakespeares career, this book explores how the playwrights understanding of shame and humiliation is rooted in performance anxiety and gender politics, explaining how theatrical gestures can create dramatic tension in a way that words alone cannot. It offers both rich insights into the early modern context of Shakespeares drama and confirms the startling relevance of his work to modern audiences.