Mother Nature and The Sense of Our Limits: a Queer Retelling of Shakespeare
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Creative Writing
Minor
Psychology, Spanish
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Jeff Osborne, PhD; TJ Martinson, PhD.
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
This project is an experimental novelette that builds off of a previous research essay. In my analytical essay, I examine Macbeth, King Lear, and The Tempest and ultimately use queer theory to argue that because we fear the power that women hold, our Western society has created a system in which we hold mothers to a binary that says they can only be selfless, tender, and loving. This creative project is a meta-retelling of Macbeth and King Lear set in 1950s Hollywood, following a producer named Earl as he tries to make one last movie before retirement. Earl fights for the success of his project while grappling with what it means to be an author, a narrator, and a character. Unfortunately for him, the people in his real life start to look a little too much like the cruel women he’s constructed in his script.
Fall Scholars Week 2025
English and Philosophy Panel
Mother Nature and The Sense of Our Limits: a Queer Retelling of Shakespeare
This project is an experimental novelette that builds off of a previous research essay. In my analytical essay, I examine Macbeth, King Lear, and The Tempest and ultimately use queer theory to argue that because we fear the power that women hold, our Western society has created a system in which we hold mothers to a binary that says they can only be selfless, tender, and loving. This creative project is a meta-retelling of Macbeth and King Lear set in 1950s Hollywood, following a producer named Earl as he tries to make one last movie before retirement. Earl fights for the success of his project while grappling with what it means to be an author, a narrator, and a character. Unfortunately for him, the people in his real life start to look a little too much like the cruel women he’s constructed in his script.