Calisto and the Culture of the Restoration Court

This paper will present a reading of John Crowne's Calisto in the context of the literary and political culture of the court of Charles II. It will consider Crowne's text with reference to courtiers' and courtesans' penchant for deceit and dissimulation, especially in the formation and dissolution of romantic relationships. It will investigate what effects this deceit had on the stability of notions of virtue and honour at court, how this instability was reflected in Calisto, and what ramifications such redefinition or redescription might have for the safety of Charles II's polity.