Abstract
The sodomite king in Christopher Marlowe's 'Edward II' and in the group surrounding James I and his favorites were a figurative response to resentment arising from the regulation of access to the king. Disgruntled contemporaries set forth the sodomitical image of James I in manuscript verse libels, mean-spirited memoirs, and political pamphlets. The structure of "bedchamber patronage" institutionalized conflict between the king's personal attachments and more bureaucratic modes of government. James's patronage, recounted in terms of sodomitical behavior, eventually joined animosity toward corrupt favorites to disapproval of the king himself.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1054-1083 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Journal | Renaissance Quarterly |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2000 |
Keywords
- SODOMY in literature
- CRITICISM
- POLITICAL science
- LITERATURE
- HOMOSEXUALITY
- BUREAUCRACY
- ENGLAND
- EDWARD II (Book)
- JAMES I (Book)
- MARLOWE, Christopher, 1564-1593
- JAMES I, King of England, 1566-1625