Generally considered to be Webster's masterpiece, it tells the story of a young widow who marries against the wishes of her powerful brothers, setting off a storm of revenge. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Duchess-of-Malfi. Before they return to Rome, Ferdinand and the Cardinal lecture the Duchess about the impropriety of remarriage. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. This volume offers his two great Jacobean tragedies, The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, together with his brilliant tragicomedy, The Devil's Law-Case, and the comedy written with William Rowley, A Cure for a Cuckold.The texts of the plays have been newly edited and are presented with modernized spelling and punctuation. Pescara, Malateste, Roderigo, and Grisolan enter. He offers Bosola a great reward for the murder of Antonio, an offer Bosola accepts even though he is plotting revenge. Ferdinand orders Bosola to strangle the duchess, her two younger children, and her maid and then goes mad with guilt. The Duchess of Malfi runs at the RSC’s Swan Theatre until April 3. The Duchess Of Malfi by John Webster. Ferdinand is an immensely disturbed man who has been driven to insanity by his inability to control his sister, and his resultant inability to control his own life. The Duchess of Malfi tells the story of the spirited duchess and her love for her trustworthy steward Antonio. In The Duchess of MalfiWebster created a singular protagonist, a tragic heroine with few parallels in the drama of this period. In The Duchess of Malfi, Webster uses many of the techniques of the revenge play--a form that was starting to fall out of fashion at the time of the play’s first staging--but for different and usually more complex purpose. Corrections? Executioners follow with a cord to strangle her, but the Duchess remains steadfastly calm and courageous, at peace with the idea of rejoining her family, who she still believes are dead. In the Duchess of Malfi, the main protagonist, the Duchess, steps beyond societal boundaries by destroying the image of herself as a powerless widow and instead recreating herself as a powerful political figure, a mother, and a wife; since society worried about giving women too much power or control, the Duchess took matters into her own hands and showed her ability to make her own … Ferdinand has recently arrived, and both Antonio and Delio suspect that he knows about the Duchess’s children. The Duchess of Malfi takes place in Italy, mostly at the Duchess’s palace in Malfi, in the sixteenth century. Your brother, the lord Cardinal, and sister Duchess. Bosola imprisons the Duchess and her two younger children. Ferdinand surprises the Duchess in her bedroom, and when she tells him that she is married, he tells her she should never reveal to him the name of her lover lest terrible violence then be unleashed on all of them. The play begins as a love story, when the Duchess marries beneath her class, and ends as a nightmarish tragedy as her two brothers undertake their revenge, destroying themselves in the process. It is based on a story in Painter's "Palace of Pleasure," translated from the Italian novelist, Bandello; and it is entirely possible that it has a foundation in fact. The Cardinal tells his courtiers to stay away no matter what they hear from him or Ferdinand, ostensibly because Ferdinand’s madness gets worse when people are around, but actually because he wants privacy with which to dispose of Julia’s body. She insists that she has no plans for remarriage, and shows some irritation at their attempts to control her. He is hired by Ferdinand to spy on the Duchess, for whom he serves as manager of her horses. Cedars, S.R. Act Three begins about two years later, with Delio’s return to the Duchess’s palace. John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi was written in 1613 or 1614, and had at least two successful productions in London before it was published in 1623 under the title The Tragedy of the Duchesse of Malfy. 7 Her youth also obviates the audience's seeing in her the stereotype of the older by Larry A. He further banishes her forever from his sight. With the information confirmed, Bosola he writes a letter to the Duchess’s brothers to tell them the news. Bosola shows genuine sadness when she dies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Perhaps the closest theatrical parallel to Webster's Duchess is found i… You have bespoke it worthily. Ferdinand has now completely lost his mind and is afflicted with lycanthropia, or the belief that he is a wolf. Unbroken by cruel treatment, she proclaims before her death, “I am Duchess of Malfi still.”. The Duchess of Malfi is recently widowed and her greedy brothers are determined she will not marry again, so they employ Daniel De Bosola, a murderer in their pay to spy on her. Bosola is reluctant, but eventually agrees. This frightening and savage production proves why the play is considered one of the greatest achievements of English drama, an epic revenge tragedy that begins with a love story and ends in a bloody nightmare. Antonio and Delio discuss how to keep her labor secret. She accepts them, and immediately becomes ill, rushing off to her bedroom. However, as soon as they leave, she sets in motion a plan to propose to Antonio with the help of her maid, Cariola. Bosola explains why he has killed Ferdinand and the Cardinal, but the Cardinal blames Ferdinand for their sister's death before he dies. Caedmon Records (TRS 334) Publication date 1968 Topics Non-Music, Stage & Screen, Spoken Word Digitizing sponsor Kahle-Austin Foundation Contributor Internet Archive Language English. The Duchess of Malfi Many famous princes, so out of brave horsemanship Arise the first sparks of growing resolution, that raise The mind to noble action. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Despite being a widow, she's still a total babe, and her steward, Antonio, has noticed, although he'd never in a million years make a move on … Immediately after they part, Bosola and a group of soldiers take the Duchess and her two remaining children captive and bring them back to her palace. From the Blackfriars' theatre in London, Andrew Marr presents a unique television premiere - a new production of John Webster's bloody revenge tragedy The Duchess of Malfi performed in a perfect recreation of an early Jacobean theatre. Antonio, the manager of her household, has just returned from France. Like Bellamont, the Duchess is shut up with mad people, but for … He not only betrays Bosola by refusing the latter a promised reward, but also shows signs of insanity before he exits. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Duchess of Malfi. The Duchess of Malfi are from The Revels Plays volume edited by John Russell Brown (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1964) and are subsequently documented paren-thetically. GradeSaver, 28 June 2012 Web. Cullina, Alice. The Duchess of Malfi is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by British dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. Perhaps this was the germ of the madhouse scene in The Duchess of Malfi, as the trial of Lady Jane Grey in Sir Thomas Wyatt may have given Webster the cue for the arraignment of Vittoria. Not affiliated with Harvard College. On their way out of town, Bosola brings her an ostensibly forgiving but actually threatening letter from Ferdinand, and so the Duchess, fearing an ambush, tells Antonio to separate from her with their oldest son. Delio enters with Antonio and the Duchess’s oldest son, who is the sole survivor of the family. Delio and the courtiers promise to raise the boy as a legacy to his parents, which gives the play a final glimmer of hope. John Webster was a radically and creatively experimental dramatist. Eventually betrayed by Bosola, a spy, the duchess and her family flee but are intercepted; Antonio and the oldest child, a boy, escape. The Duchess is a young widow whose two brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, are visiting her from Rome at the play’s start. Webster’s style is reliant on dense symbolic imagery. In any case, it … The Introduction Renaissance drama appears to be fascinated by immorality and the consequences of lust and illicit sexuality. Julia, the Cardinal’s mistress, approaches Bosola, declaring her love for him, and Bosola uses her to get the Cardinal to admit his involvement in the Duchess's murder. "The Duchess of Malfi" was published in 1623, but the date of writing may have been as early as 1611. Bosola kills Ferdinand. Act Two is set about nine months later. Act I, Scene 1 2. The Duchess is a young widow whose two brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, are visiting her from Rome at the play’s start. The Duchess of Malfi was written by John Webster in 1612-13 and published in 1623, twenty years after Queen Elizabeth I’s death, when England had a new king, James I. Ferdinand is overwhelmed with remorse and blames Bosola … The Duchess of Malfi E-Text contains the full text of The Duchess of Malfi. 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. In Act Five, Antonio, ignorant of his wife and children’s deaths, plans to beg the Cardinal that night for a reconciliation. The Duchess of Malfi tells the story of the spirited duchess and her love for her trustworthy steward Antonio. When Ferdinand confronts the Duchess’s body, he is suddenly overtaken with remorse and angry at Bosola for following his orders. Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi is often regarded as the last great tragedy of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, second only to William Shakespeare’s. It begins in the palace of the Duchess, a young widow and the ruler of the Italian town of Amalfi. Antonio, the manager of her household, has just returned from France. The courtiers finally enter in time to see the Cardinal and Bosola die, but not before the latter has confessed the particulars of the situation. About “The Duchess of Malfi” This tragedy was first presented privately in the 1613-1614 theatrical season, then to a larger audience at the Globe that same season. The Duchess shows a final sign of life, and before she truly dies, Bosola tells her that Antonio is still alive. He fails and most of the cast pay for the brothers' plotting. They strangle her. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. The Duchess of Malfi is a literary work which highlights the major issues of the society of the sixteenth century. Though Bosola pleas with Ferdinand to cease his torture, he won’t listen, and instead sends a group of madmen to torment her. Bosola now assumes his belief is correct, but finds further definitive proof through a horoscope Antonio wrote for the infant. In typical fashion for revenge tragedy, the final act is one of carnage. The Duchess of Malfi study guide contains a biography of John Webster, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The Duchess of Malfi literature essays are academic essays for citation. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. The Duchess of Malfi takes place in Roman Catholic Italy, which English audiences at the time when the play was written would have associated with corruption. The Duchess, who wishes to protect Antonio by removing him from Malfi, falsely claims he has stolen from her and hence has him banished to Ancona. There is no evidence that Webster had read or seen the play that Spanish dramatist Lope de Vega had written about the duchess. Male dominance can lead to serious problems, and even to death. Read the Study Guide for The Duchess of Malfi…, The Duchess of Malfi and a Certain Fish Story, Webster's "The Duchess of Malfi": Mad, Mad Ferdinand, Explore and analyse Webster's treatment of women and their status in society as presented in The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, Flying of Fate: the Echoes of “The Duchess of Malfi”, View our essays for The Duchess of Malfi…, Read the E-Text for The Duchess of Malfi…, View Wikipedia Entries for The Duchess of Malfi…. Bosola next orders her children and Cariola killed. Silvio. The brothers are both incensed, but the Cardinal maintains a cool calm, whereas Ferdinand grows erratically angry. Antonio and the Duchess have had two more children in the meantime. Because of the Cardinal’s warning, his courtiers at first ignore his cries for help. "The Duchess of Malfi Summary". The Question and Answer section for The Duchess of Malfi is a great Tracklist: Disc 1: 1. For tickets, please visit the RSC website here. Once he has left, Bosola defends his virtue to the Duchess so emphatically that she admits the secret of their marriage. Before leaving the Duchess, Ferdinand engages Bosola, previously used by the Cardinal as a hit man, to ostensibly manage the Duchess’s horses, but in reality to spy on her for the brothers so they can be sure she remains chaste and does not remarry. Bosola arrives and the Cardinal pretends that he has no idea about the Duchess's death. The author showed gender hierarchical system where women take the lower position. This is why The Duchess of Malfi is a “Jacobean” play, rather than an “Elizabethan” play. John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi sensationally dramatises the costs of pursuing sexual desires considered to be immoral in Jacobean society. In Act Four, Bosola tells Ferdinand that the Duchess is bearing her imprisonment nobly, which angers him. Here you will find the complete text of the play with links in each scene to notes and commentary. Bosola pleads for her life, but the Duchess and her two children are strangled. Bosola returns, disguised as a tomb-maker, and prepares the Duchess for her impending death. It is based on a story in Painter's "Palace of Pleasure," translated from the Italian novelist, Bandello; and it is entirely possible that it has a foundation in fact. Find out more. The Duchess of Malfi tells the story of the Duchess—who is never named—and her attempts to live in peace with her loving husband and children, attempts that ultimately fail due to the machinations and greed of her hostile brothers. Antonio and the Duchess marry, and the Duchess reassures Antonio that they will find a way to appease her brothers. In prison, a furious Ferdinand tricks the Duchess into believing that Antonio and her eldest son are both dead. The Duchess is pregnant and Bosola, suspecting her condition, hatches a plan to prove it to himself by giving her apricots, thought to induce labor. Bosola pretends to support her, and she sends him after Antonio with money and news that she will soon follow him. In Ancona a few days later, the Cardinal catches up to them and banishes the Duchess and her family from there. Although she bears three children, she refuses to name the father. Explore our previous productions of Webster's The Duchess of Malfi from 1960 – 2000. Much of John Webster’s “The Duchess of Malfi” centers around the subversions and perversions of Ferdinand, the Duchess’ brother. Bosola, waiting outside the Cardinal’s room, accidentally kills Antonio, who has come to see the Cardinal. So it all starts out with our girl, the Duchess, who's inherited her political position from her dead husband, the former Duke of Malfi. Bosola pretends to agree, but tells the audience that he will find Antonio to either protect him or help him get his vengeance against the Cardinal and Ferdinand. 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