The Duchess of Malfi - 1313 Words

The princely powers of the Duchess of Malfi The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy, originally published under this name in 1623, is a Jacobean drama written by John Webster in 1612-13. The play starts off as a love story with the Duchess secretly marrying the steward of the household Antonio; a man beneath her class who she has fallen in love with. This marriage immediately shows the Duchess’ â€Å"princely powers† by defying the wishes of her brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, to not marry again after being widowed. â€Å"The Duchess of Malfi is ostensibly a story of resistance of a wilful widow who actively defies her brothers’ wishes and refuses to be constrained by (male) authority† (Bartels 420). Webster portrays her brother Ferdinand’s†¦show more content†¦Another significant part of the play is the theme of confinement and entrapment. The Duchess of Malfi is trapped and the only way to liberate her soul is through death. Bosola is hired to keep track on the Duchess’ actions, Ferdinand and the Cardinal set a trap for the Duchess which will lead to her death. Ferdinand warns her what will happen â€Å"Your darkest actions, nay, your privatest thoughts, will come to light.† when she gets caught she will be killed (Webster 1580). The spying activities by Bosola take years to come up with the results that the brothers of the Duchess want, but they have a prompt effect on the life of the Duchess. Her emotions and movements are restricted and her secret marriage is indeed â€Å"the entrance into some prison† (Webster 1580). She is not only restricted in this, but also trapped in her class role â€Å"we are forced to woo, because none dare woo us† (Webster 1583). Furthermore the theme of betrayal is present in the play, through brutal entrapment, when Antonio’s recognizes that Bosola is trying to sabotage him. This happens after the birth of his first child, a baby so fragile it is opposite to a soul being imprisoned in the body. Which is reflected in Ferdinand’s outburst â€Å"Foolish men, That e’er will trust their honor in a bark made of so slight weak bulrush as is woman, apt every minute to sink it!† (Webster 1597). The theme of the Duchess being caged as aShow MoreRelatedConnotation Of The Duchess Of Malfi1536 Words   |  7 PagesWidow in â€Å"The Duchess of Malfi† In Webster’s play, â€Å"The Duchess of Malfi†, the Duchess of Malfi is not trusted by her two brothers. The Cardinal and Ferdinand are worried that the Duchess will marry someone when they leave to go to Rome, which could jeopardize their ties to the Duchess’s inheritance when she dies. Although the Duchess reassures them both that she will not remarry, Ferdinand and The Cardinal continually to threaten the Duchess. In one instance Ferdinand threatens the Duchess with theirRead More The Duchess of Malfi Essay2618 Words   |  11 Pages The Duchess of Malfi is a revenge tragedy, but Webster has used the form for much more than just its entertainment value; he has used it as a vehicle for the exploration of some themes relevant to the society of his time. Webster based his plot on a true story set in Italy, and kept the Italian setting because like Shakespeare and other playwrights of his day, he had to use politically-acceptable foreign settings in which to explore ideas such as those presented in The Duchess of Malfi, (whichRead MoreThe Duchess Of Malfi Masculinity1779 Words   |  8 Pagesmasculinity roles shifts from men claiming their supremacy by being overbearing, dominant, and selfish to getting tricked and manipulated by women so that power can be seen as being equal within genders or completely taken by women. In the Duchess of Malfi masculinity is constructed as maintaining power by being overbearing and selfish. The brothers Ferdinand and Cardinal was overbearing and selfish when it came down to their sister love life. Ferdinand and Cardinal tried to dictate their sisterRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Duchess Of Malfi983 Words   |  4 PagesDuchess of Malfi In the tragic play The Duchess of Malfi the author John Webster talks about the lies a deceit, power, and society and class. The protagonist the Duchess of Malfi is a tragic play about betrayal, corruption, and secret love. The Duchess inherited her political power from her dead husband, whom was the former duke of Malfi. The duchess has two brothers, the Cardinal and Ferdinand, they are both perversely corrupt, refusing to allow the duchess to remarry. The whole play The DuchessRead MoreThe Duchess Of Malfi, By William Shakespeare1161 Words   |  5 PagesIn Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi, the forces of good and evil seem to be constantly at war. From the beginning of Act I to the end of Act V, the audience witnesses these two elements struggle against one another through each character’s actions or intentions as well as through various points of imagery. Despite the fact that the Duchess is murdered at the end of Act IV, Act V reveals that even in times of immense tragedy and evil-doing, good ultimately conquers all. Evil is easily sighted in theRead MoreThe Princely Powers of the Duchess of Malfi849 Words   |  3 Pages1612-13. The play starts off as a love story with the Duchess secretly marrying the steward of the household Antonio; a man beneath her class who she has fallen in love with. This marriage immediately shows the Duchess’ â€Å"princely powers† by defying the wishes of her brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, to not marry again after being widowed. Webster portrays her brother Ferdinand’s power as a corrupted duplicate of an ideal. An ideal that the Duchess reaches through the drag of patriarchy. However theRead MoreThe princely powers of the Duchess of Malfi1040 Words   |  4 PagesJacobean drama written by John Webster in 1612-13. The play starts off as a love story with the Duchess secretly marrying the steward of the household Antonio; a man beneath her class who she has fallen in love with. This marriage immediately shows the Duchess’ â€Å"pr incely powers† by defying the wishes of her brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, to not marry again after being widowed. â€Å"The Duchess of Malfi is ostensibly a story of resistance of a wilful widow who actively defies her brothers’ wishesRead MoreComparing Hamlet And The Duchess Of Malfi2373 Words   |  10 PagesCompare the depictions of Madness in Hamlet and The Duchess of Malfi. What is the significance of madness in each play? During the late sixteenth century, dramas an plays became a big role in entertainment and madness became one of the major themes, as Salkeld recognises that the use of madness as a metaphor for subversion became increasingly marked throughout the first half of the seventeenth century . (Salkeld, 1994, pg.144)This madness created a spark within the Elizabethan era and causedRead MoreThe Duchess Of Malfi By John Webster1260 Words   |  6 PagesWritten by John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi is an exquisite play filled with plot-twists, tragic moments, and stupendous actors who have studied under some of the greats. One actress in particular, playing the Duchess of Malfi is Ms. Julie Granata-Hunicutt , studied the works of Ms. Uta Hagen. She successfully demonstrated some of these magnificent techniques in the show tonight; I very much urge others to go and see the well-executed work for themselves. For the purpose of this analysis essayRead More`` Duchess Of Malfi `` : The Life And Times Essay1410 Words   |  6 PagesBosola, the life and times. In John Webster’s Duchess of Malfi, much of the play revolves around themes of social status and class, and within this construct, relationships and honor that result from these statuses. However, one character shines through though they are far from royalty. He’s far from front and center- rather, you’re much more likely to see him sneaking around the perimeters and eavesdropping on any conversations he can hear. Bosola seems to have been dealt a rough hand by his

The Scientific Sociology Of The Human Variables Essay

Many people say that they know everything about their friends, but do they really know everything? This paper will contain the scientific sociology of my group of friends throughout the duration of a week and how their interactions and actions with others depend on who they are communicating with. Throughout this observation the human variables changed in result to where they were, who they were with, and how they were feeling. Through the duration of this paper, the names of the individuals have become fictional for ethical reasoning. The names of the study variables will be, Kaitlyn, Shelly, Meranda, Dana, Sarah, and Ali. As a sociologist I have to use participant observation as my method of research, because I am within the group that is apart of this specific observation. Throughout the past week of watching these individuals interact with each other, there were noticeable changes in how they acted, but the transformation only occurred because of natural chances that could not be physically changed. The independent variables that were involved in this research were who the individuals were talking to, the location, and the feelings of the individuals at specific times. As I patiently observed my friends, I noticed that the only variable that I could change physically is where the group was located. The first variable of this research was who the individuals were talking to. This variable caused changes in how these individuals interacted with each other. A few examplesShow MoreRelatedSociological Exploration Or Research Is A Complex Process1333 Words   |  6 PagesIntro to Sociology Professor Hartley Essay #2 Essay#2 Sociological exploration or research is a complex process. At what time a scientist attempts to figure out the way the natural world works, he will utilize experiments to search for the cause and effect. In other words, they construct an experiment so they can observe or evaluate any change in one entity and cause another to vary in a repetitive way. When things change within an experiment they are called variables. A â€Å"variable† is a characteristicRead MoreWhat is Psychology?925 Words   |  4 Pagesdealing more with the scientific study of behavior. From about 1970 on, psychology was defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. However, according to nowadays definition of psychology, it could be defined as the study of the behavior and human mind. Factors which influencing our behavior include physical, emotions, thoughts and social. It can help to solve humans’ problems if we have a complete understanding of the above factors. There are 6 steps Scientific Method to understandRead MoreSociological Reflection1258 Words   |  6 PagesShahidullah Soc 205-09 11 Dec 2017 Take Home Final When most people think about sociology they generally think of the study of sociology. However, sociology is much deeper than just the study of sociology. It displays a plethora of sub topics such as: crime, deviance, bureaucracy, culture, criminality, socialization, economy, politics, religion, education, social class and many more. Throughout this fall semester this sociology course has taught me things that I could never imagine. To be more specificRead MoreWhy An Independent Variable Affects A Dependent Variable888 Words   |  4 Pages Surveys and Experiments, Longitudinal studies, are two significant methods of research used in Sociology. First, the Survey method, a primary research method, studies a larger, broader population of sociology (Bryant, L. (2014), (Census). For this survey method, experimenter choose the subject and questions needed for the collection of data. The advantage of this method involves a faster evaluation period and is inexpensive. However, the disadvantage of this method is the interviewers inabilityRead MoreCompare and Contrast the Natural and Social Sciences in Their Philosophy and Approach to Research983 Words   |  4 Pagesand generalise scientific arguments. Laws of physics , mathematics and chemistry look for logical, verifiable knowledge of the natural and physical world , in an attempt to translate it into applicable models and systems of valid and recognised stock of facts and data. It has been the purpose of the natural sciences to produce scientific statements, following an ob jective , value-free observation of facts and through deduction , formulation of hypotheses and testing the scientific validity of theRead MoreIs Sociology a Science1655 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The study of sociology cannot and should not be seen as scientific† To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? (33 marks) The debate about whether sociology can be represented as a science has existed for many years. Comte; who first used the word sociology argued that sociology should be based on the methodology of the natural sciences. He argues that the application of natural science methodology to the study of society would produce a ‘positive science of society’Read MoreSocial Psychology : An Individual1117 Words   |  5 Pagesis a scientific study, which tells society what people think about, how they influence one another, and how they relate to each other, as an individual. Through experimental research, social psychologists are able to tell us how our social interactions affect us as individuals. Definition of Social Psychology â€Å"Social psychology is a science that studies the influences of our situations, with special attention to how we view and affect one another† (Myers, 2010). Therefore, it is a scientific studyRead MorePositivism Essay978 Words   |  4 PagesPositivism Positivism is a scientific approach to sociology (the science of society As Keat and Urry (social theory as science, 1975) note: Positivism is concerned only with observable phenomena. It involves establishing law-like relations between them through the careful accumulation of factual knowledge. This occurs by means of observation, experimentation, comparison and prediction. The terms sociology and positive philosophy (positivism) were both Read MorePsychology as a Science1163 Words   |  5 PagesPsychology is the scientific study of the behavior of individuals and their mental processes. (Fuchs amp; Milar, 2002). But what makes it a scientific study? First of all, why not? Nowadays the idea of psychology as a science seems so natural to us, but it was not always like this. The late-eighteenth-century declaration that a true scientific study of the mind was not possible posed a challenge that was answered in the nineteenth century when the possibility of a scientific study of mindRead MoreEthical Dilemmas Of The City Versus Rural Countryside Essay1105 Words   |  5 Pagesvalues.† (1). The term â€Å"society† is a very complex entity with many variables and plays a role in the interaction of people every day. So what makes up a Society? Why do we gravitate towards certain groups of people? Why do we stay in certain areas of the United States, or choose to live in the city versus the rural countryside? The list of questions could go-on and on; nevertheless, how are these questions answered. That is where Sociology, which is, â€Å"the systematic study of the development, structure

Child Care In Singapore Personal and Family Decisions

Question: Discuss about the Child Care In Singaporefor Personal and Family Decisions. Answer: The following essay is going to look into the matter of child birth and the influence of the Singaporean government upon child care provisions within the family. Maternal leave for the working women is quite common in various countries. In order to provide facilities for the conceiving women, governments of different countries are found to grant paid leave to them during the conceiving days. However, Singaporean government has created an epoch-making example by making a stern provision for the fathers who are also approved of taking long paternal leave after the birth of a child (Cho Koh, 2015). In most of the cases, fathers are the economic and financial sources of a family. Therefore, they are bound to carry on with their work. However, taking care of the child is not the sole responsibility for the mother and hence, male counterpart of the mother has been sharing the responsibility for rearing up a child. Specifically in Singapore child birth rate has experienced massive decline and it has been alarming so far. Because of fast movement of professional life there has always been a lacuna between the children after their birth and proper care upon them (Shorey et al., 2014). Moreover, in recent years, it has been noticed that people of Singapore have been quite disinterested in child birth thus affecting the national demographical structure. Though infant mortality rate in Singapore has risen in significant term, it is still lagging behind the other developed countries. The basic problem with the country is that more than twenty percent (20 %) of its married women are child less. The basic factor behind this problem is the insecurity of job and money. Most of the Singaporean families are short with adequate money they need to take care of a child. The average income of a Singaporean urban or semi- urban family is more or less $3000 that is not sufficient to bear the expense of a child birth and its rearing process. Weak economic system is the main cause behind such drawback in the country (Robinson, 2014). However, instead of empowering the workers with economic increment, the government has been setting some certain rules to design a family order. Governments new endeavour to grant paternal leave is welcome unless there is no discrepancy in the salary of the government employees. The social structure of Singapore depends on the economic architecture, hence, the government needs to look into the hike in the salary of the government employees and facilitate the Singaporean citizens with free child birth policies. The burden of child birth and rearing has mostly affected the demographists who make a structure for the future development of the country. No doubt, the government should regulate certain rules to encourage the families to have child for ensuring the future generation. On the contrary the government has the responsibility to encourage them by providing birth facility of children and its rearing process. Reference: Cho, E., Koh, C. W. (2015). 14. Governmental interventions and social re-engineering to facilitate worklife balance: Singapore and South Korea.Handbook of Research on WorkLife Balance in Asia, 271. Robinson, R. S. (2014). Book Review of Population Policy and Reproduction in Singapore.Contemporary Sociology,43(1). Shorey, S., Chan, S. W. C., Chong, Y. S., He, H. G. (2014). Maternal parental self?efficacy in newborn care and social support needs in Singapore: a correlational study.Journal of clinical nursing,23(15-16), 2272-2283. World Health Organization. (2010).World health statistics 2010. World Health Organization.