Cursing in Shakespeare: The Linguistic Power of Outsiders
Faculty Sponsor(s)
Daniel Pollack-Pelzner
Location
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Austin Reading Room
Subject Area
English: Literature
Description
Cursing, in our modern, colloquial sense of the word, can mean both "foul language" and "magical, or taboo, language," and the goal of casting curses is often to inflict harm on a person or thing. This thesis endeavors to answer the question: "What power do curse words have in Shakespeare's plays, and how are they reappropriated by gendered and cultural outsiders?" Presenting a comparative study of the curses invoked by Joan la Pucelle in 1 Henry VI and Caliban in The Tempest—and analyzing their linguistic, historical, and theatrical implications—this paper examines the way in which Shakespeare's outsiders transform curse words from slurs and insults into strategic weapons of resistance and tools for identity creation.
Recommended Citation
Buchholz, Joanna F., "Cursing in Shakespeare: The Linguistic Power of Outsiders" (2016). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 42.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2016/all/42
Cursing in Shakespeare: The Linguistic Power of Outsiders
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Austin Reading Room
Cursing, in our modern, colloquial sense of the word, can mean both "foul language" and "magical, or taboo, language," and the goal of casting curses is often to inflict harm on a person or thing. This thesis endeavors to answer the question: "What power do curse words have in Shakespeare's plays, and how are they reappropriated by gendered and cultural outsiders?" Presenting a comparative study of the curses invoked by Joan la Pucelle in 1 Henry VI and Caliban in The Tempest—and analyzing their linguistic, historical, and theatrical implications—this paper examines the way in which Shakespeare's outsiders transform curse words from slurs and insults into strategic weapons of resistance and tools for identity creation.
