Butterfly Play Highlights Eleanor Glanville's Abuse
SkimNews Take
The play's modern framing of historical persecution highlights how societal pressures against women pursuing niche, non-domestic interests can persist across centuries.
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- Butterfly is a new two‑hander commissioned by Phoenix Theatre’s new writing programme, written by Claire Jackson to spotlight overlooked voices.
- Eleanor Glanville was a 17th‑century British naturalist who discovered the Glanville fritillary butterfly and later lost her estate after a judge ruled she was “deprived of her senses” for butterfly‑hunting.
- Claire Jackson adapts Glanville’s 17th‑century abuse into a 21st‑century “manosphere” drama, with the abusive husband Richard never appearing on stage.
- Dr Godrick tells Eleanor “there’s nothing wrong with having a hobby, or even what you might call a hyperfocus” in a claustrophobic therapy scene.
- Butterfly Conservation reports that 49% of its members are female, yet Jackson notes lingering sexist attitudes among male butterfly enthusiasts.
Why it matters: The Phoenix Theatre’s new play gives audiences a fresh lens on Eleanor Glanville’s 17th‑century persecution, while Butterfly Conservation’s 49% female membership suggests the production could boost female participation in entomology clubs.
