Identical twins were viewed through specific cultural and social frameworks in 17th-century Europe
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Academic research examining early modern European medical manuals and dramatic texts demonstrates that twins were interpreted through specific cultural, gender, and societal frameworks during this era.
# The Crisis of Masculinity: Twins, Early Modern Medicine, and Drama, 1594-1655
Sheffield Hallam University. Published: 2019-01-01. Dissertation. 0 citations.
## Authors
- Louise Powell: h-index 1; 3 citations; corresponding author
## Topics
- Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes
- Gender Roles and Identity Studies
- Medical History and Research
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# The Crisis of Masculinity: Twins
## Abstract
This thesis examines the representation of twins in three early modern medical works and eight dramatic texts which were published between 1594 and 1655 in relation to the idea of a crisis of masculinity. It will analyse the illustrations and descriptions of two people who shared the same birth in midwifery manuals by Eucharius Rösslin, Jacques Guillemeau, and Jakob Rüff alongside the twin characters of dramatic works. The plays range from the very well known to the relatively obscure, while the gender configuration of twin characters is split evenly between wholly male and mixed-gender twins. Chapter One examines William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors (1594) and William Ryder's The Twins (1635), while Chapter Two focuses upon John Fletcher's