Isobel is a 1st year PhD student at the University of Bristol in the Theatre and English departments. Her research examines dismemberment in early modern drama, drawing on the perspectives of stage materiality, classical reception, and the medical humanities. She holds a BA in Classics and English from the University of Oxford and an MA in Shakespeare Studies from King's College London and Shakespeare's Globe, and is an Associate of the Royal Schools of Music. She is also a Research Assistant for the Beyond Shakespeare Company and sits on the Committee for the Revels Office.
This research examines dismemberment in early modern drama to explore how cultural systems shape human responses to violence. By analysing plays such as Titus Andronicus, the project argues that fear and disgust are historically conditioned rather than purely instinctive, revealing how societies teach audiences to interpret violent imagery across different historical periods