This study examines how two writers deal with demonic possession and exorcism in their written works that both have a common theme, the same alleged case of possession and exorcism. By comparing these written works I explore if the authors share any common or varying theories on possession and exorcism and investigate if the common theme of the two books has contributed to the authors writing similar books.My results show that the two authors deal with demonic possession and exorcism differently, one has theological views of the phenomena but is sceptical of their role in the alleged case, whilst the other believes that demonic possession and exorcism can be explained using scientific theories and that they are phenomena that played a part in the alleged case. The two books are quite different. I conclude that both writers’ theories of the phenomena are dependent on the existence of the phenomenon of religion.

Artists creating images of demonic possession during the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation communicated theological messages by accentuating the most famous and dramatic exorcisms. This project proposes an interpretive structure, called cultural theatrics, for analyzing these works. Brian Levack’s theory of cultural performance provides the framework from which cultural theatrics develops. Levack’s cultural performance includes the demoniac and the exorcist as participants in religious dramas who act in a way that their religious communities expected them to act. However, this thesis proposes that images of possession and exorcism (rather than the historical events of alleged possession and exorcism themselves) are more appropriate subject matter for studying the theatricality of possession because artists held the interpretative leverage of conveying theological messages through depictions of exorcisms. This research shows how the artist, patron, and learned advisor mobilize cultural theatrics in images of demonic possession.

Esta tese tem como objetivo analisar os casos de possessão demoníaca e a prática de exorcismos em Portugal, no âmbito da sua história cultural. Baseia-se principalmente em registros inquisitoriais e episcopais, e tem como principal objetivo demonstrar que, no contexto da disciplina espiritual e social, da propaganda religiosa e dos horizontes hagiográficos, floresceram em Portugal casos de possessão demoníaca. Por outro lado, a prática de exorcismos provou ser um fenômeno cultural muito difundido, agindo no contexto do infortúnio e da doença. / This thesis has the goal of analysing the cases of demonic possession and the practice of exorcisms in Portugal, on the context of their cultural history. It is based mainly on inquisitorial and episcopal records, and its main purpose is to demonstrate that, in the context of spiritual and social discipline, religious propaganda and hagiographic horizons, cases of demonic possession flourished in Portugal. By the other side, the practice of exorcisms has provd to be a very widespread cultural phenomenon, acting on the context of misfortune and malady.

John Webster’s play The Duchess of Malfi subverts early modern hierarchical structures of matter and life by characterizing the human body as fundamentally deceptive and inferior to the animal body. Through close readings of Bosola’s meditations and Ferdinand’s lycanthropy, I consider how Webster constructs animals as simplistic creatures that enjoy a desirable existence, where body and soul are continuous. Within Webster’s play, the dualist conflict between human body and human soul is a primary subject of discourse. Various human characters see animal existence as preferential, as they view animals as automated creatures that do not suffer the self-consciousness that humans do. This model of animal existence further increases the thematic significance of Ferdinand’s lycanthropy, which I argue is an escape from the discontinuity between the human body and human soul. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.

Esta tese tem como objetivo analisar os casos de possessão demoníaca e a prática de exorcismos em Portugal, no âmbito da sua história cultural. Baseia-se principalmente em registros inquisitoriais e episcopais, e tem como principal objetivo demonstrar que, no contexto da disciplina espiritual e social, da propaganda religiosa e dos horizontes hagiográficos, floresceram em Portugal casos de possessão demoníaca. Por outro lado, a prática de exorcismos provou ser um fenômeno cultural muito difundido, agindo no contexto do infortúnio e da doença. / This thesis has the goal of analysing the cases of demonic possession and the practice of exorcisms in Portugal, on the context of their cultural history. It is based mainly on inquisitorial and episcopal records, and its main purpose is to demonstrate that, in the context of spiritual and social discipline, religious propaganda and hagiographic horizons, cases of demonic possession flourished in Portugal. By the other side, the practice of exorcisms has provd to be a very widespread cultural phenomenon, acting on the context of misfortune and malady.