“Marlowe’s eyes flickered when they spotted me, nudging me with the insistent pressure that marked him unmistakably as a daemon.

I suppressed an urge to rush at one of England’s greatest playwrights and shake his hand before peppering him with questions.”

Diana is a scholar of the early modern period; as such, most of the historical figures she encounters in her studies have passed. However, due to how her unique powers interact with The Complex Nature of Time, Diana’s timewalking gives her the ability to travel in time and meet figures she otherwise could only read about.

“‘Lady alchemists are nothing but kitchen philosophers,’ Kit sniffed, ‘more interested in improving their complexions than understanding the secrets of nature.’

‘I study alchemy in the library—not the kitchen,’ I snapped, forgetting to modulate my tone or accent. Kit’s eyes widened. ‘Then I teach students about the subject at a university.’

‘They let women teach at the university?’ George said, fascinated and repelled in equal measure.”

Christopher “Kit” Marlowe is an early modern author Diana knows well, but meeting him in person is different than reading his work. He is immediately antagonistic to Diana and holds the gender-based prejudices of his day, highlighting Gender Roles in Different Historical Periods. Kit is also antagonistic toward women who study alchemy, dismissing their work as superstition, compared to the so-called serious work done by men investigating “secrets of nature”—thus, this quote also begins to explore The Relationship Between Science and Superstition.

“His eyes were smoky, and his instincts to pursue his prey and push it into submission were sharp. Not only did the sixteenth-century husband want to prevail over his wife, but the vampire wanted to capture the witch.”

Diana confronts Gender Roles in Different Historical Periods in Matthew’s own behavior. In A Discovery of Witches, Matthew’s best friend, Hamish, warned Diana that Matthew’s behavior would be different in the past, due to the surrounding cultural expectations between genders. Diana did not give much credence to his words then, but Matthew’s behavior begins to prove Hamish right.