“But why may not I love a Woman with the same affection I could a Man?”: Female Same-Sex Desire in Early Modern Lyric Poetry and Plays

This MA thesis examines how several early modern English poets and playwrights draw on and modify discourses about female-female desire. It looks at the poems “Sapho to Philaenis” (1633) by John Donne, “The Description of Cookham” (1611) by Aemilia Lanyer, and “To My Excellent Lucasia” (1654) by Katherine Philips. I will also investigate The Convent of Pleasure (1668) by Margaret Cavendish, and William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595). These poems and plays are read in tandem with early modern discourses of medicine and friendship. Medical texts generally condemn sexual relations between women through the transgressive figure of the tribade, who is characterised by unbridled lust. Discourses of friendship propose a different figure: that of the platonic female friend. Both discourses propose radically different views on female love. Furthermore, writers within each discourse often disagree with one another and do not present a unanimous verdict on the significance,...Show moreThis MA thesis examines how several early modern English poets and playwrights draw on and modify discourses about female-female desire. It looks at the poems “Sapho to Philaenis” (1633) by John Donne, “The Description of Cookham” (1611) by Aemilia Lanyer, and “To My Excellent Lucasia” (1654) by Katherine Philips. I will also investigate The Convent of Pleasure (1668) by Margaret Cavendish, and William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595). These poems and plays are read in tandem with early modern discourses of medicine and friendship. Medical texts generally condemn sexual relations between women through the transgressive figure of the tribade, who is characterised by unbridled lust. Discourses of friendship propose a different figure: that of the platonic female friend. Both discourses propose radically different views on female love. Furthermore, writers within each discourse often disagree with one another and do not present a unanimous verdict on the significance, danger, and prevalence of female-female attraction, desire, and love. This leaves room for writers of poetry and plays to experiment with their portrayals of love between women. Poets and playwrights write far more nuanced portrayals of female same-sex desire and love than medical and amicitial discourses may lead us to expect, often making a case for the potency and validity of female-female love.Show less

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“But why may not I love a Woman with the same affection I could a Man?”: Female Same-Sex Desire in Early Modern Lyric Poetry and Plays