'Untruss a Point'—Interiority, Sword Combat, and Gender in The Roaring Girl

Abstract

Abstract:This article discusses the critical apparatus surrounding Dekker and Middleton's well-known play The Roaring Girl. While previous discussions of the text have focused mostly on Moll's cross-dressing, I instead look at Moll's sword skills to show how the lascivious behaviour of London's men produces her gender performance, which seems unruly by early modern standards. I also examine other rituals of gender construction that texture previous analyses of Moll.