John Lyly, Mother Bombie

Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

Written at an uncertain date towards the close of Lyly's career,

Mother Bombie

differs from the rest of the Lylian corpus in a number of respects. Unlike the dramatist's previous plays which are rooted in debate and evolve through analogy and contrast, the drama looks back to the intrigue actions of Roman New Comedy, turning, like its classical antecedents, on the conflict between the marital ambitions of parents and children, and the activities of witty servants mediating for financial gain in their masters' affairs. In sharp contrast to Lyly's earlier plays, which are set in classically-inspired or mythological locations, the action takes place in sixteenth-century Rochester (Kent), and includes a well-known local figure, the reputed witch Mother Bombie. Rather than being of royal or…

993 words

Citation: Scragg, Leah. "Mother Bombie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 September 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3418, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3418 Mother Bombie 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.