‘The finny subject of the sea’: Thaisa's pregnant embodiment and (non)maternal identity in Pericles

Inspired by Stacy Alaimo's notion of transcorporality, this article reconsiders multivalent aquatic womb imagery, Thaisa's pregnant embodiment and her (non)maternal identity in Pericles. As argued, the play offers an inconsistent portrayal of pregnancy and maternity. Thaisa's pregnant...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCahiers élisabéthains Vol. 114; no. 1; pp. 119 - 132
Main Author Burzyńska, Katarzyna
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.07.2024
Subjects
identité maternelle
early modern drama
incarnation de la grossesse
maternity
maternité
pregnant embodiment
pregnancy
grossesse
autorité maternelle
maternal authority
théâtre de la première modernité
maternal identity
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Summary:Inspired by Stacy Alaimo's notion of transcorporality, this article reconsiders multivalent aquatic womb imagery, Thaisa's pregnant embodiment and her (non)maternal identity in Pericles. As argued, the play offers an inconsistent portrayal of pregnancy and maternity. Thaisa's pregnant body – a fluid aquatic economy – is prominently displayed onstage, while her labour described by Gower and Pericles remains the play's climax. Yet, the birth at sea and Thaisa's ‘terrible childbed’ communicate anxieties over maternal powers. Neither her maternal identity nor her maternal authority takes shape in the play, signalling early modern culture's unease with pregnant bodies that do not follow normative, patriarchal scripts.
ISSN:0184-7678
2054-4715
DOI:10.1177/01847678241261285