Article: Middleton's 'Michaelmas Term' Inductio 13-19. (Thomas Middleton)

Thomas Middleton's Michaelmas Term (1604--5)(1) begins with an Inductio in which Michaelmas, the eponymous presenter, arrives in London to open the law season. He changes into the lawyer's black gown as he enters, shedding his conscience along with his country clothes (lines 1--4). Changing into morally expressive colors and costume was conventional business in allegorical drama(2) and survived in such a recent play as The Contention between Liberalitie and Prodigalitie (1601), which opens with Vanitie introducing himself by pointing at his outfit (1--4).(3) Imitating another morality device, the Inductio foreshadows the play's theme of the prodigal's progress when in a ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!