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