Magical Transformations on the Early Modern English Stage
by Lisa Hopkins
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About This Book
Magical Transformations on the Early Modern Stage furthers the debate about the cultural work performed by representations of magic on the early modern English stage. It considers the ways in which performances of magic reflect and feed into a sense of national identity, both in the form of magic contests and in its recurrent linkage to national defence; the extent to which magic can trope other concerns, and what these might be; and how magic is staged and what the representational strategies a
Our Review
This scholarly work examines how magic served as far more than spectacle in Elizabethan and Jacobean theater, analyzing how enchantments, transformations, and supernatural contests became powerful metaphors for national identity, political anxieties, and cultural shifts. Hopkins demonstrates that staged magic wasn't merely decorative but performed crucial cultural work, reflecting England's preoccupations with defense, sovereignty, and its place in a rapidly changing world. The book meticulously dissects the representational strategies playwrights used to make the invisible forces of political and social change visible and dramatic.
What distinguishes this study is its sophisticated argument that magic troped complex contemporary concerns, from colonial expansion to religious tension, making the stage a vital arena for working through collective fears and aspirations. Hopkins’ analysis will resonate most with serious students of Renaissance drama and scholars interested in the intersection of performance, politics, and cultural history. The book ultimately reveals how the wand was mightier than the sword in shaping early modern England's imagination of itself.
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