Mobilizing emotion through structures of male friendship in Shakespeare

This thesis examines early modern male friendship as a form of emotional community in Shakespearean drama and builds from scholarship in history of emotion, Renaissance male friendship, and Shakespeare studies with three central interests. First, to produce new interpretations of well-studied plays. Second, to create an innovative methodology that draws together insights of the history of emotions and Shakespeare studies. And third, to examine how a focus on male friendships provides new insights into contemporary negotiations of Renaissance social systems.