"Great is Diana" of Shakespeare's Ephesus

This article examines historical and literary genealogies of the goddess Diana of Ephesus (a.k.a. Artemis of Ephesus), applying these genealogies to Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors and Pericles. Diana of Ephesus is embedded within the Abbess of Errors, and their amalgamation makes topical reference to the Catholic Virgin and Queen Elizabeth I. In Pericles, Diana of Ephesus is a providential deity who offers Shakespeare an icon of female authority capable of restoring Pericles to his role as king. In the tradition of feminist Shakespeare studies, this article evaluates the function of female characters—mother figures especially—in Renaissance patriarchal drama.