Sorcery, serpents, surrogates and statutes : the significance of suckling in Shakespeare /

Abstract

Key dramatic scenes involving images of breastfeeding occur within literary masterpieces from Shakespeare's time to the present. This paper explores the manner in which the dramatic effect of these scenes in Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, and The Winter's Tale is heightened by breastfeeding imagery juxtaposed against images of murder, suicide, being killed in action, and being frozen in time. Shakespeare's attitude toward maternal nursery is argued. In addition, the level of sophistication in Shakespeare's use of breastfeeding imagery over time is analyzed. Many have written on the use of breastfeeding imagery utilizing such approaches as new historicist, feminist, and psychoanalytic in their critiques. Anthropological studies of what could/should be considered normal breastfeeding and child-rearing behavior point to the cultural influence of humans on this biological function. Culturally based interference occurs in defining what is/is not considered normal human behavior. Therefore, an understanding of biological and cultural beliefs concerning the breast and its function during the time in which they were written is necessary to fully appreciate major literary works.