Lycanthropy in literature is traced back to the ancient Greeks. The literature is based on legend, folklore, and fiction. The legend of lycanthropy is usually seen in novels. Writer=s who choose to use lycanthropy as a small subplot of their novel usually found that the audience was more receptive to their works. The worthwhile novels were written by authors who chose not to embellish the legen d of the werewolf, and to not include it as the subject of a full length novel (Cooper, 116). Those who tried to produce a novel completely based on lycanthropy generally failed to entice the audience because of the lack of the gothic element. The auth ors turned the horrific tale of the Werewolf into a ridiculous encounter with a hairy man. The Duchess of Malfi is a prime example of utilizing the theme of lycanthropy, during the renaissance era.

AThe legend of the werewolf is one of the oldest and most primal of man=s superstitions@ (Cooper, 25). Lycanthropy legends are seen as far back as 117-161 AD. (http://star06.atklab.yorku.ca/~peterpan/wer1.html). During this time period Marcellus Sidetes, a Grecian, w rote about the symptoms of lycanthropy. He claimed lycanthropy could be caused by extreme melancholy (http://star06.atklab.yorku.ca/~peterpan/wer1.html). The idea of melancholy causing lycanthropy can be relevant to The Duchess of Malfi. Ferdina nd is distraught over the Duchess= melancholic mood that could have manifested into his own self becoming lycanthropic. This could be further theorized over the fact that Ferdi nand and the Duchess are twins and it is often thought that twins share their moods and feelings. The theory of extreme melancholy followed the trail of lycanthropy to the renaissance era when the disease was known as Melancholia Canina (http://st ar06.atklab.yorku.ca/~peterpan/wer1.html).

The idea of lycanthropy was not widely used in early literature. AThere were brief references to the phenomenon in medieval times, particularly in French romance...of the fou rteenth century@ (Cooper, 115) AThe werewolf theme was but sparingly evoked in fiction before the advent of the nineteenth century...apart from fleeting evocations of poetry it was almost non-existent@ (Cooper, 115). Even in The Duchess of Malfi, only a very small portion of the play deals with Ferdinand=s inner lycanthropic transformation. According to Cooper, lycanthropy was occasionally utilized for episodes in longer novels and plays similar to The Duchess of Malfi. Many writers tried to incorporate lycanthropy into their novels, possibly because it was fashionable for the times. However, their efforts in lycanthropy did not impress the readers of the era (Cooper, 115-16).< /P>

Lycanthropy is not seen as a subject that was utilized at it=s best before the 19th century. Authors lacked the certain element needed in their writing to entice the audienc e to be frightened by the werewolf. Cooper says that Aliterature has been more fortunate in that the writer has more technical equipment at his command [than cinema] and the re ader=s own imagination on which to work@. However, he states that there have been Afew [literary] works which can truly be described as classics in the field@. The success of werewolves in litera ture is more apt to be seen in the short story rather than the novel. This is because the novel can not entice the reader into sheer terror throughout the whole book, therefore there are inevitable bouts of boredom of which the reader must conquer. Lyca nthropy in literature before the 19th century does have it=s strong points. Many of which are seen in smaller essays and sub points of larger plays and novels, such as The D uchess of Malfia.

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