Abstract

In my dissertation, I aim to examine the different identifications and affects that occur in the pursuit of justice as explored in early modern texts. I explore the relationship, and differences, between pity, compassion, and mercy in various early modern texts such as Chapman, Marston, and Jonson’s Eastward Hoe; Shakespeare’s King Lear and Measure for Measure; Spenser’s Faerie Queene; and Middleton’s The Old Law. I look at the role that the imagination plays in allowing people to identify with the pain and perspectives of others, especially as it enhances or limits one's ability to sympathize with victims and offenders. More than focusing on issues of fairness, I look at moments when empathy arouses or is evoked—either towards the victim or the offender—in an effort to shape the responses of the judges.

Committee Chair

Joseph Loewenstein

Committee Members

Anca Parvulescu; Jenny Mann; Michael Sherberg; Robert Henke

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Author's Department

Comparative Literature

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

8-20-2024

Language

English (en)

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