ABSTRACT
ThisisnotanessayaboutHamlet.Butitseemsappropriatetobeginwiththe cryofperhapsthemostfamousmotherinEnglishdramatointroducethe preoccupationofthisdiscussion,whichexploresthefunctionofmotherhoodin thestructuringofdramaduringtheperiodinwhichShakespearewaswriting. DespiteafrequentassertionthatmothersfeaturelittleinElizabethanplays (Rose,1991;Mack1979),Iwishtoshowthatmotherhoodwas,infact, everywhere,andcruciallyso.Inparticular,Iwishtoshowhowthemother offereddramatiststheopportunitytoorganizeandtoconfigurethe representationofconflict;constitutingafigurewhereoppositionscouldbe situated,playedoutandyetcontained.Thisisnottosuggestthatmotherhood alwaysmeantthesamethingintheplaysoftheperiod,orworkedinthesame ways.Indeed,itistheaimofthisessaytoshowhowcomplexandhowflexible aconceptmaternitycouldbe,andtodemonstrateitsconsequentvaluein drama.InHamlet,Isuggest,Shakespeareisutilizingandcomplicatingan alreadyestablisheddramaticfunctionofthemother'sbody,anditisthat convention,anditsimplications,whichthisessaywillexplore.
