ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the reader to the cockered child. It begins with a quotation from Shakespeare’s King John that includes the phrase ‘cockered’ and suggests that modern readers and audience members have little understanding of what the term means. The chapter then explores the importance of the term in a social rift to define the meaning of noble manliness and why this struggle helped to bring about the Renaissance. The etymology of the term ‘cockered’ and other associated terms is then considered, after which the cockered child’s role in morality drama and his, or her, evolution into early modern drama is discussed. The chapter concludes with a breakdown of later chapters.
