Duchess Of Malfi Character Analysis

The Noble Dignity of a woman in The Duchess of Malfi
The play The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster (1590-1635) analyzes the limits on the social behavior of females in English Renaissance era that is a complete patriarchal society. It also exalts the noble dignity of the Duchess being dramatizes at the end of the play as she faces her death with noble dignity. The Duchess family can be defined as the one word ‘Corruption’ in a way of keeping the fortunes by the sacrifices the Duchess of Malfi. The Duchess’ brothers; Ferdinand and the The Cardinal are symbols of the corrupted patriarchal society. The characters structure the different class distinctions in the society of feudalism, which requires females’ complete obedience to males. They force …show more content…
The main reason that put her into a death is because of her second marriage. Steen argues about this crime of the marriage that “Others have asserted that upper-class marriages were political arrangements not subject to personal whim and that the Duchess was a failure as a ruler because she put personal desire above public responsibility” (Steen, 61). She was judged by the corrupted public responsibility as a ruler, which causes her political sacrifice in the play. The duchess eventually does not overcome the social feudalism, but desires the true value of the life in the way of keeping her noble dignity. When her secret marriage with Antonio reveals by her brothers, she is still very confident and never lose her dignity as a duchess. Perhaps her female identity disappeared but her noble title Duchess of Malfi remains at the end of her life, “I am the Duchess of Malfi still” declares her identity. When the evil character Bosola, who has incited by Ferdinand and the Cardinal to kill the Duchess asks her “Doth not death fright you?” and she nobly answers back “Who would be afraid on’t? Knowing to meet such excellent company In th’other world” (Webster, 4.2).She does not fear to death, moreover keep her dignity as always and faces it reverently unlike her maiden Cariola. Cariola refuses to death by nagging “I will not die I must not, I am contracted to a young gentleman” which emphasizes the dignified death of the Duchess even more. The evil characters kneel down the Duchess of Malfi, in order to humiliate and gain her submission to males, but she faces the death as a ruler the true Duchess. Therefore, her death might be the sacrifice of violent feudalism but also a spiritual victory of nobility by not loses her