Date of Award
Spring 4-28-2016
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English, Linguistics, and Communication
First Advisor
Mathur, Maya
Major or Concentration
English
Abstract
This essay looks at the portrayal of capitalism in the anonymously written Renaissance play Arden of Faversham. As early modern England shifted to a capitalist economy, the nefarious means that almost all of the major characters employ in order to take advantage of opportunities for social mobility criticizes the greed and brutality that emerging capitalist values encouraged. While many critics criticize Arden for his greed as a landlord, he does not conform to the literary stereotype of the period for greedy landlords, allowing a broader reading of the play. All the deaths at the end of the play, both the landlord and the commoners responsible for his murder, criticize a variety of avaricious motives and the economic system that incites each of them to pursue their ambitions.
Recommended Citation
Settlemyer, Eileen G., "We're All Mad Here: Anti-Capitalist Criticism in Arden of Faversham" (2016). Student Research Submissions. 81.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/81