the duchess of malfi critic quotes

a cautionary tale

the scene centres not on julia’s immoral action, but on the moral turpitude of those who condemn her as a ‘strumpet’ in order to excuse their own actions

It is the woman’s title, not her name that appears on the frontispiece of the play

when a high-status man acts improperly, its usually because a woman has caused him to transgress

early modern victim-blaming

webster removes this frame and encourages us to see things differently

celebrating rather than condemning a woman’s desire

the Duchess describes her sexuality as a form of slavery

bosola situation foregrounds contemporary anxieties about the shift from a feudal to a cash economy

without bosola it would not be a revenge tragedy

it is no the murder of the Duchess which opens his eyes to the true villainy of the brothers

bosola is forced to play any part he can in order to survive

philosopher in the mould of hamlet except he is also a man of action

scholar now reduced to a mercenary

is bosola merely playing the role of the melancholic

misunderstood (on machiavelli)

we cannot say that webster condemns unequal marriages…he shows what the world thinks of them

duchess’ dangerous independence of mind and conduct

the duchess’ body is threatening to male rule

a woman of sexual energy and vulnerability

some critics sound hysterically like Ferdinand when they claim that…the Duchess like Hamlet’s mother, steps out of her path of duty and marries for lust

julia is meant to be condemned as a wanton, promiscuous, morally reprehensible woman

the context of love and sexuality defuses the play’s threatening language

violated existing patriarchal conventions of marriage to create her own concept of the state

duchess becomes an uneasy and threatening figure

to divorce her natural body from her political body

an unease with a woman who pursues self-determination

marriage is an act of heroic resistance

masculine in her ability to withstand pain

the radiant spirit of the duchess cannot be killed

virtue is in this disorderly world is merely wasted

antonio is modelled on the ideals of christian gentility

webster portrays evil as far more powerful than good

the ultimate tragedy is the presence of evil

cardinal thinks nothing of breaking vows

the effect is a play that presents an anatomy of the world rather than a replica of it

Marriage... is also presented in confining and dangerous terms, as a trap

the cardinal's religious hypocrisy is driven by an urge to control female agency

advice is everywhere shaped by his view of women as naturally lustful and incapable of self-governance

Clandestine marriage is a form of social resistance

widows, gluttony and lust

Integrity of life is fame's best friend

The Duchess lacks the moral weakness which the Greek philosopher had claimed the tragic protagonist must possess.

play is about the ‘tangled web woven trying to control female sexuality

julia is designed as a set-off to the Duchess; as an instance of unholy love in contrast to the chaste love of the Duchess

A play intended as a warning against marrying a social inferior would have to be constructed quite differently