Staging anatomies: dissection and spectacle in early Stuart tragedy

Hillary M. Nunn here traces the connections between the London public's interest in medical dissection and the changing cultural significance of bloodshed on the early Stuart playhouse stage.

Considering the playhouses' role within the social world of early modern London, Nunn explores the influence of public dissection upon the presentation of human bodies in well-known plays such as King Lear, as well as in a wide range of often neglected early Stuart tragedies like The Second Maiden's Tragedy and Revenge for Honour.

In addition to dramatic texts, the study draws heavily on anatomy treatises and popular pamphlets of the time.