ABSTRACT
This essay explores the potential impact of Judith Butler's work on the study of gender in Renaissance England. In particular, it looks to the theatre, which has proved an especially productive site for discussions of Renaissance gender. As evidenced in the anxieties of its opponents, Renaissance theatre called into question the ontological status of gender, suggesting instead a performative model. Meanwhile, however, at other cultural locations, gender was being increasingly naturalized: in the practice of witch-hunting for instance, we see an intensified concern with the 'nature' of the female body.
