ABSTRACT

What Margaret Cavendish says about God in her scientific treatises is markedly different from what she says on the same subject in her drama. The unflattering views on Christianity to be found in Youth's Glory suggest that Cavendish is not simply letting her fancy range freely in the play. Nevertheless, Lady Wagtail's deity takes precedence, for his presence permeates the discussion of the pagan gods, and it is her hearty Christian view of the world that makes the play the comic success that it is. As with Lady Sanspareille's comments on worshiping nature, it is easy to miss the significance of Lady Innocence's heterodox remarks about being unwilling to worship gods who allow virtuous people to suffer ruin. The usual solution to the difficulty with Cavendish views on women, if it really is a solution, sometimes a proto-feminist and sometimes not. Denial of the immortality of the soul and God's providence were also considered atheistic, as were materialism and naturalism.