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The Duchess of Malfi

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1K views30 pages

The Duchess of Malfi

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AbdulJalilTarnao
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The Duchess of Malfi Study Guide by Course Hero What's Inside ® Book Basics, 1 Qin Context 1 @ Author Biography 3 #s Characters 4 4 Plot Summary 8 © Scene Summaries 8 “Quotes 24 4 symbols ar ® Themes 28 ® Book Basics AUTHOR John Webster FIRST PERFORMED 1614 GENRE Drama, Tragedy ABOUT THE TITLE The play is named for its protagonist, who is given the status of a tragic heroine, She is the sole ruler, in her own right, of Malf an independent duchy, or territory, on the western coast of Italy near the city of Naples. @ In Context English Renaissance Drama Drama in Renaissance England is traditionally divided into two periods: Elizabethan (1550s~ 1603) and Jacobean (1603-30s). ‘The terms and dates reflect the flowering of theater, above all in London, during the reigns of Elizabeth | (ruled 1558-1603) and James | (ruled 1603-25). In this era the four most accomplished playwrights were Christopher Marlowe (1564-93), William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Ben Jonson (1872-1637), and John Webster (c. 1580-c. 1630) Renaissance drama drew on a number of diverse traditions. First, there were the indigenous mystery and morality plays of the Middle Ages. Second, there were the ancient Roman, comedies of Plautus (c. 254-184 BCE) and Terence (c. 195-59 BCE), as well as the tragedies of Seneca (4 BCE-65 CE). Finally, there were a number of narratives and story plots, many from Italian sources that became available through translations during the second half of the 1500s. A major landmark in the development of drama was Marlowe's adaptation of blank verse—unrhymed iambic pentameter—to the stage. Although dramatic genres were somewhat flexible, by the time Of the collection of scripts in the First Folio of Shakespeare (1623), there were three standard types of play: tragedy, ‘comedy, and history. Along with these genres, subsequent ‘scholarship focused on the period has distinguished romance, tragicomedy, and masque. Scholars have also singled out ‘subgenres such as revenge tragedy and city (citizen) comedy. Drama was enormously popular. In 1603, Queen Elizabeth | died and James the VI of Scotland became the new monarch, king James | of England, James loved the arts and was very {generous to actors, playwrights, and other performers of the day. In particular, James | loved the theater, and was, The Duchess of Mali Study Guide In Context 2 captivated by Shakespeare's acting troupe, the Chamberlain's, Men. They were granted a Royal Patent and changed their name to the King's Men, in honor of James. By 1608 the King's Men had a permanent winter home at the Blackfriars Theatre and they played to a mostly ich and well-educated audience (they spent the summer months at the Globe). Their creativity began to flourish and they are credited with starting the new style of Jacobean drama. The Duchess of Malfi was performed at the Blackfriars Theatre in 1614. The play was printed in folio form in 1623. ‘Admission to performances was relatively cheap, and acting companies enjoyed noble and royal patronage. Its estimated ‘more than 20 theaters were builtin London during 1576-1640. With the English Civil War (1642-51) having broken out in earnest in August of 1642, the Long Parliament was now led by Puritans, who viewed theaters as centers of vice. In 1642 the Puritan ascendancy (when the Puritans gained power in Parliament) abruptly put an end to public performances of plays for 18 years. With the Restoration in 1660, theaters reopened. The Tragic Heroine In The Duchess of Maifi Webster created a singular protagonist, a tragic heroine with few parallels in the drama of this period, The Duchess's power, wealth, and sensuality combine to form a highly unusual combination of qualities—a Cluster that many male theatergoers and readers might well have found unnerving, or even threatening, regardless that in Renaissance theater all roles, even those of females, would have been played by men. Perhaps the closest theatrical parallel to Webster's Duchess is found in Shakespeare's Cleopatra, who shares heroic status ‘with her consort Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. Shakespeare's tragedy was first performed around 1607, about seven years before The Duchess of Malfi. The analogy between the two characters is only approximate, since Cleopatra's distinguishing traits—for example, her exotic foreignness, from an English perspective—differ somewhat from those of the Duchess. But Cleopatra's beauty, power, intelligence, sensuality, independence, courage, and magnetic eloquence strongly support a comparison with the Duchess. Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc. The Italian Setting For English theatergoers of Webster's time, the Italian ducal palace represented corruption and deception. This stereotype ‘sprang from a number of sources: the somber political philosophy of Niccold Machiaveli (1469-1527), as expressed in his best-known work The Prince (1513); the prevailing loyalty in Italy to the Roman Catholic religion and the Pope; and the complex politics of the leading Italian city-states and noble, ‘families, including the Borgias and the Medicis. These powerful, corrupt families controlled much of Italy, even holding positions in the Papacy at times. For example, Rodrigo Borgia was the corrupt Pope Alexander VI who had mistresses and illegitimate children. The Catholic Church was seen as being more about power and wealth than religion. This was also influenced by Henry Vill (1491-1547), King of England from 1509 to 1547. Henry broke with the Catholic Church in order to annul his first marriage, and he embraced Protestantism by creating the ‘Church of England. Henry ordered monasteries and nunneries ‘sacked, and those who embraced Roman Catholicism were ‘sometimes put to death. At the beginning of the play, for ‘example, Antonio Bologna, who is newly returned from a visit to France, compares the French court to that of Malf to Italy's, distinct disadvantage. Italy was a Catholic country. Webster also employs this anti-Catholic sentiment in the stereotypes he ‘employs in The White Devi. In The Duchess of Malfi Webster interlaces the setting with several of his principal themes, including corruption, deception, and cruelty. At the very beginning of the play, for example, ‘Antonio Bologna, who has freshly returned from a visit to France, compares the French court to that of Matfi to Italy's distinct disadvantage. Although Malfiis home to a number of honorable characters, such as the Duchess of Malfi and the loyal courtier Delio, they are greatly outnumbered by ‘scoundrels and criminals, Three of the play's most important ccharacters—hired criminal Daniel de Bosola and the Duchess's ‘two brothers, the Cardinal and Ferdinand—are deeply involved in corruption. Webster's Use of Horror The Duchess of Malfi, along with The White Devil, employs horror to a disconcerting, memorable degree. In the ‘Shakespearean canon, for example, the most bloody and violent actions, with few exceptions, occur offstage. Webster, The Duchess of Mali Study Guide ‘Author Blograpty 3 however, confronts audiences directly with physical violence and psychological torture that fallttle short of sadism, the. enjoyment of inflicting pain. In addition, the imagery in Webster's dialogue habitually places shock and horror in the foreground, The rationale for these features of Webster's dramaturgy remains a mystery. Scholars are left wondering whether Webster simply was an exploiter of audience shock and emotion or a nihilistic denier of human value or virtue. Perhaps he wanted, by means of shock, to jolt his audiences into a more ‘moral framework, So little is known of his life and philosophical outlook that the answers to these questions must remain obscure. Yet by analogy with Shakespeare—whose personal beliefs remain ust as obscure—audience members may guess that Webster used horror judiciously as a means to an end: to chart the broad spectrum of human nature and behavior. #% Author Biography Early Life and Dramatic Collaboration Born around 1580, John Webster lived his entire life in London, His father was a wagon and coach maker—a relatively new profession, and he enjoyed considerable status as a craftsperson of luxury items. Records reveal that young John Webster was admitted to the Middle Temple, one of the Inns of Court, in 1598 for legal studies. He married 17-year-old Sara Periall in 1606. They had their first of several children, a son they named John Webster Il, about two months after the marriage. Many details about Webster's lfe remain unknown, Like many Elizabethan and Jacobean playwrights, (Shakespeare was an exception), Webster fashioned much of his career in the theater as a collaborating author. His earliest known work, for example, was the result of a collaboration with Thomas Dekker (c. 1572-1632). This was a city comedy—a satirical, realistic work set in London—entitled Westward Ho (c. 1604). The title refers to the cries of boatmen who worked on the river Thames as water-taxi operators during the rapid expansion of London in this period. The play made a striking impression on several of Webster's contemporaries. In fact, English dramatists Ben Jonson (1572-1637), George Chapman Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc. (c. 1559-1634), and John Marston (1576-1634) responded by producing Eastward Ho in 1605, only to be answered by Dekker and Webster again in Northward Ho (c. 1605). Theater historians consider these “directional plays' as valuable indicators of satirical and social drama in the first decade of the 17th century. Mature Plays ‘The chronological gap between Northward Ho and Webster's mature plays, which date from c. 1612-14, is commonly ‘assumed to imply that Webster was, for much of his career, very much a part-time playwright. Possibly he kept busy assisting his father and participating in business projects for the Merchant Taylors’ Company, of which the Webster family was a member. ‘The two most accomplished plays of Webster's career in the theater, both of which he was sole author, are The White Devil (c.1612) and The Duchess of Maif(c. 1614). Both are tragedies based on Italian sources, but these dramas had strikinaly different fortunes with the public. The White Devil was a flop, whereas The Duchess of Maifiwas an outstanding success. Webster based the plot and characters of The White Devil on relatively recent stories from Italy of the life and death of Vittoria Accoramboni of Gubbio (1557-85), who lived at the center of a complex web of intrigue, adultery, and murder. With its emphasis on ilict sexuality, violence, decay, revenge, and treachery, the play etches a stark, cynical portrait of the dark forces in human nature, In The Duchess of Maifi Webster reaches back in his sources to Italy in the early 1500s. Many critics have noted similarities with The White Devil the portrayal of corrupt courtly societies, {for example, the ominous mood of terror, and the dark tone. But the heroine of this play, the Duchess herself is far less ‘ambiguous than Vittoria in The White Devil. Outstanding for her virtue, courage, independence, and integrity the Duchess is that rare character in English Renaissance drama—an authentically heroic woman. Webster's play presents cruelty that borders on sadism, and he touches on the theme of incest, ‘which was common in Jacobean drama. After these two plays, Webster was sole author of a tragicomedy entitled The Devil's Law-Case (c. 1620). He also collaborated with Thomas Middleton (1580-1627) on Anything The Duchess of Mali Study Guide Characters 4 for a Quiet Life (c. 1621) and with Wiliam Rowley (c. 1585-1626) (on A Cure for a Cuckold (c. 1625). In 1624 he composed a pageant, a lavish procession or parade spectacle, entitled ‘Monuments of Honour to celebrate the induction of a member of the Merchant Taylors’ Company, Sir John Gore, as Lord Mayor of London, Webster's Achievement Webster died around 1630, although some sources put his death closer to 1625. Webster's critical fortunes and the evaluation of his dramatic achievement have varied widely. A generation or so after the playwright’s death, the great diarist and theater fan Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) saw two performances of The White Devil and remarked, "I never had so little pleasure in a play in my life." However, Webster came into his own when he was highly praised by essayists and critics of the romantic movement, especially Charles Lamb (1775-1834) and Wiliam Hazlitt (1778-1830). Hazit's judgment that Websters leading two tragedies "come the nearest to Shakespeare" was particularly influential. Since the early 1800s, Webster's two greatest plays have generally been held in high regard for their imaginative language, vivid stage effects, memorable characters, and ingenious plots. # Characters Duchess of Malfi The Duchess of Malfiis portrayed with a many-sided personality, combining humor, dignity, sensuality, and courage. She is comfortable in her lofty position as ruler of a dominion. Yet she feels it is her right to woo a lower-status husband for love, and she does so with both passion and grace. In the second half of the play, her traits of courage and endurance are most on display. Her brother Ferdinand's obsessive campaign to drive her to madness and despair does not succeed, despite Ferdinand's extreme cruelty. After enduring imprisonment and psychological torture, the Duchess faces, her death with philosophical resignation, Because of her ‘admirable behavior, even the cynical Bosola comes to pity her and to repent his crimes, Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc. Daniel de Bosola Daniel de Bosola, like the Duchess of Malfiis a many-sided, dynamic character. He starts the play as a cynical criminal, known for his melancholy. Something of a social striver, he allows himself to be recruited by Ferdinand as a spy, even though the Cardinal— Ferdinand's brother and Bosola's former ‘employer—treated Bosola poorly. Portrayed as quick witted land as a master of deception, Bosola is also something of a misogynist, as shown in his dialogues with the Old Lady in Act 2. He cooperates with Ferdinand's cruel plans yet shows increasing unwillingness to do so, as even he becomes repelled by such tactics. After the Duchess is murdered, Bosola's conscience wins out, and he becomes a vehicle for revenge against Ferdinand and the Cardinal, Unfortunately, he deals Antonio a lethal blow by accident—the very man he wanted to protect. Bosola's nihilistic comments about moral land physical corruption contribute to a key theme in the play. Ferdinand Ferdinand, whose title is Duke of Calabria, is the most psychologically unbalanced character in the play. Act 1 begins by portraying him as an unpredictable tyrant, bending his courtiers to his petty whims. But itis soon apparent Ferdinand is also a master of deception. He engages Bosola as his household spy at the Duchess's court, where Bosola is appointed master of the horse. Ferdinand's main objective is to monitor the Duchess's marital status. He hopes to profit financially and harbors incestuous desires for his sister. After he learns the Duchess has borne a child, Ferdinand vents his, rage, with anger akin to insanity, shocking even the Cardinal From this scene onward, Ferdinand exhibits a steady decline into sadism and then lunacy—specitically, lycanthropy, which has him believing he is a wolt Cardinal ‘The Cardinal is portrayed as evi, cruel, and calculating—more restrained outwardly than his younger brother. The Cardinal, ‘00, opposes any remarriage by his sister, the Duchess of Malfi, probably for motives of jealousy and greed. n Act 1, ‘when the Cardinal refuses to compensate Bosola for his services, the inference is the prelate, a high-ranking "prince of The Duchess of Mali Study Guide Characters 5 the Church,” is exploitative and deceitful. He acts menacingly toward the Duchess as well. His cynical treatment of women is apparent in his dialogue with Julia in Act 2, Scene 4. Snobbery, 109, is part of his character, as shown by his comment on "the royal blood of Aragon and Castile" in Act 2, Scene 5. In Act , Scene 2, he profanes a Bible by applying poison toit so he can ‘murder Julia, his mistress. Finally, he suffers a momentary twinge of conscience before Bosola and Ferdinand fatally stab him Antonio Bologna ‘Antonio Bologna's first extended speech in the play is an eloquent commendation of the Duchess of Malfi. The ground is thus prepared for the Duchess's wooing of him later in the act and for their ‘chamber* wedding contract. Antonio is, uncorrupted and shows himself loyal to the Duchess, whom he loves and admires. As the play unfolds, Antonio grows steadily in courage and resourcefulness until he is ready to confront the Cardinal. One of the most poignant moments in the drama is his farewell wth the Duchess when Antonio, banished from ‘Ancona, flees to Milan, He and the Duchess will never see each other again despite their love. Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc. The Duchess of Mali Study Guide Characters 6 Character Map Cree @ Main Character @ Other Major Character Minor Character Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, nc ES coursertero The Duchess of Mali Study Guide Characters 7 Full Character List Duchess of Mai Daniel de Ferdinand Cardinal Antonio Bologna Cariola Castrucci ‘A young widow, the Duchess of Malfi is articulate, gracious, brave, dignified, and endowed with a sense of humor. When her brothers learn she has disobeyed their command not to remarry, she is forced to endure severe punishments, ‘A ctiminal who has served a prison sentence as a galley slave, Daniel de Bosola is melancholy, cynical, and reputed to be malcontent. Ferdinand recruits him to spy on the Duchess of Malf to keep track of her marital status. ‘The Duchess of Malfis twin brother, cruel and tyrannical Ferdinand invests ‘much of his eneray trying to drive his sister mad. Finally, he himself is overtaken by insanity ‘The cynical and calculating older brother of the Duchess and inand, the Cardinal keeps a mistress, Castruccio's wife Julia. In the past, he engaged Daniel de Bosola to commit murder. Loyal and upstanding, Antonio Bologna is the Duchess's palace steward, with whom she falls in love, After he and the Duchess marry in a chamber ceremony, Antonio suffers the hostility of Bosola, Ferdinand, and the Cardinal Cariolais the Duchess's maid, who remains loyal to her mistress and. faithfully guards the secret of the Duchess's marriage. She is strangled under Bosola's supervision, Castruccio is one of the important courtiers at Maif. As the cuckolded husband of Julia, Castruccio is a target of Bosola's mockery, and his pretensions to refinement, or acting as though he is of a higher station, as ‘a courtier are made to look ridiculous. Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc. Churchmen Delio Doctor Echo Executioners Grisolan Julia Madmen Mad Astrologer Mad Broker ‘The Churchmen sing a sycophantic, or servile, ditty to accompany the pantomime at the shrine of Loreto. The song glorifies the Cardinal in his transformation from prelate to military ‘commander. Deliois one of the most important courtiers at Malf. A good-hearted

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