A Body of Angels: The Angel in Early Modern English Literature

Abstract

Cast into obscurity by the Protestant Reformation, the angels of English literature are pulled down from the firmament to stand beside man: they whisper into ears, infuse into blood, and take on human mannerisms. As the Renaissance man continues to grow into an individual, the differences between human and angel become harder to distinguish. A Body of Angels reaches beneath the polished surface of the early modern angel, and tugs at its human innards.

In ‘Chapter One: The Questionable Shape’, I establish the altered shape of the angel in literature. The chapter draws together popular works of literature, such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet and examines it alongside lesser-known writing on angels to draw an outline of the angel. ‘Chapter Two, Shaped by Silence: Angels on the Stage from 1415-1645’, offers a broad-reaching study of angels on the English stage. While angels eventually disappeared from the stage altogether, ‘Chapter Two: Shaped by Silence’ answers the mystery of why these figures fly the stage. In ‘Chapter Three, Spirits Astir: Sensing Angels within The Body’, I consider how both fallen and unfallen angels could act within and upon the human body to affect its spirits and senses. In ‘Chapter Four: From Air to Angel - Exploring the idea of the Angel-woman’, I continue to gesture towards the human body as the site which angels choose to inhabit; this is nowhere more established than in the angel-woman imagery. The ‘Conclusion: Reflections’, uses mirrors to reflect my argument. Sometimes used as a metaphor for angels, mirrors offer a reflection of the human mind and body.