Taking the Mick: Characters Named Michael in ARDEN OF FAVERSHAM, OTHELLO, and THE KNIGHT OF THE BURNING PESTLE

When Shakespeare bestows the name Michael Cassio on a character in Othello he would doubtless have been aware of some distinguised antecedents, including his friend Drayton and two other authors whom did not know personally but was fond reading, Michel de Montaigne Miguel Cervantes. Less immediately, several historical persons name, perhaps most notably Emperor Palaeologus, are mentioned number early modern texts. does seem to common England, it also much found plays, or at least extant ones. In this essay I focus three plays which characters called appear, Arden Faversham, Othello, The Knight Burning Pestle, shall argue that each draws one way another more inherently paradoxical associations held by period, suggested simultaneously money sanctity, corporeality spirituality, past future. All these Michaels, whether unwillingly unwittingly, same effect either causing participating disruption domestic relationships pitting family members against other. their own very different ways, could be seen as emblematising underlining sin home, drawing attention dual nature humans having both mortal (social, familial, material) life an immortal soul, something Michael’s strange status saint archangel makes him eligible understood someone who once alive entity always wholly spiritual.