"Foul, Strange and Unnatural": Poison as a Murder Weapon in English Renaissance Drama

Abstract

Abstract:Less spectacular than theatrical violence involving bloodshed, stage murder by poison is nonetheless unsettling because of its secretive nature. Perceived in Renaissance England as dishonourable and unmanly, poison was often associated with women as the "weaker" sex, with discriminated minorities such as Jews, and with Machiavellian politics from continental Europe.