Early Modern Queer Ecologies: Sexual Nature In Marvell, Milton, And Shakespeare

The aim of this thesis is to, through an in-depth look at the works of Andrew Marvell, John Milton, and William Shakespeare, suggest an alternative ethics of living informed by queer ecologies. Following a brief overview of the critical points regarding queer ecologies in the introduction, the first chapter works through Andrew Marvell’s “Mower Poems,” grappling with human modifications of nature and how said modifications are tied to sexual pleasure. The second chapter looks at John Milton’s Comus and Paradise Lost, through which we see non-normative modes of sexuality and the conflations that follow in regards to gender and status. The third and final chapter looks at William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, specifically focusing upon the non-hegemonic desire exhibited throughout the play and how the contrast between urban and forest settings impact said desire’s manifestation and exhibition. Through an application of queer ecologies on each work, human relations with nature are codified and scrutinized to ultimately find better alternatives.