Elizabeth Cary’s "The Tragedy of Mariam" (1613) is the first original tragedy written by a woman and published under her own name in English literature history. In this essay I argue that the central conflict of the play is not merely the domestic tragedy of Mariam’s execution by her jealous husband, Herod the Great, but a profound exploration of the power and danger of female speech in a patriarchal world. In this essay I argue that Cary presents a radical, if ultimately tragic, vision of female integrity. I do so by exploring Mariam’s refusal to dissemble, contrasting her with Salome who manipulates the patriarchal structures to her own ends, the undecided commentary on female virtue provided by the chorus, and Herod’s tyranny as a manifestation of masculine insecurity. Mariam’s death is not a capitulation but a victory: she chooses truth over survival, and her voice, silenced by the executioner, echoes after the play’s violent ending.
- Quote paper
- Nirmal Gurung (Author), 2026, The Voice That Would Not Break. Speech, Silence, and Female Defiance in Elizabeth Cary's "The Tragedy of Mariam", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1746634
