My research examines the ways in which Renaissance writers, and their approaches to melancholy, were informed and inspired by conceptualisations of masculinity and psychology in the period. The study comprises of close interpretive readings of the canonical and lesser-studied plays of Marlowe, Shakespeare and Ford written between 1586 and 1638 — the period spanning the first publication of Timothie Bright’s Treatise of Melancholy to the final publication of Robert Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy before his death — to identify how relevant changes within the historical milieu surrounding my chosen literature affected Renaissance attitudes towards melancholic masculinity. From October 2022  – March 2023 I will be undertaking an exciting placement with the Royal Society of Medicine, using their collection of old and rare books in order to curate an exhibition entitled ‘The Golden Age of Melacholy.’