Magic of the Mundane: Exposing Occult Fraud in Early Modern Drama.

  • Published In: Theatre Journal, 2025, v. 77, n. 3. P. 315 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Walker, Katherine 3 of 3

Abstract

The Renaissance stage repeatedly presents magic not only in demonic conjurations, spiritual presences, or a host of supernatural agents but also through exposing supernatural expertise as fraudulent practice. As this essay argues, lifting the veil on spectacular magic was just as intellectually compelling to authors like Thomas Middleton or Ben Jonson as was the act of conjuring a truly occult environment out of thin air. The article shows that the act of demystifying the stage does not foreclose all magical influences from a play. Fraudulent magic in the theatre bolsters up the sense that there is real magic elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Theatre Journal. 2025/09, Vol. 77, Issue 3, p315
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Social Sciences and Humanities
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0192-2882
  • DOI:10.1353/tj.2025.a971567
  • Accession Number:189042392
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