Temptation in Shakespeare's Plays

Although temptation appears in all drama, every age defines problems of choice and conscience in unique ways, thus explaining temptation with unique concepts. Although now we analyze problems of moral choice in terms of the modern psychology to which we are accustomed, the Renaissance interpreted temptation in the light of religious beliefs inherited from medieval culture. Shakespeare's contemporaries held that each of the temptations of Adam and Eve recurred in the devil's testing of Christ in the wilderness, and thought that in both instances the lures used represented types of the temptations diabolically designed to ensnare humanity. Furthermore, exegetes constructed a psychology of temptation and of its resistance. Both the biblical episodes and the commentary upon them furnished authors with ready-made patterns for literary episodes.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Holloway, Brian Ray

• Literature, English

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8127609

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/66343