Tis Pity She's A Whore

Is Incest the Worse Thing in ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore?

In many ways, John Ford’s, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore is a straightforward play. Giovanni and Annabella, brother and sister fall in love with each other and have an incestuous relationship. Incestuous relationships are one thing that has stayed taboo for many generations. Everyone in the story tells the protagonist that it is wrong. This play is often compared to “Romeo and Juliet” by Williams Shakespeare, because of the star crossed love. There is an argument that states that John Ford only introduced the incest part of this play to make it different from “Romeo and Juliet.” While there may be reason to consider that, John Ford’s introduction of incest in the middle of all the subplots …show more content…
Worse, where Giovanni’s reason should control his passion, instead his reason makes matters worse. In his initial discussion with Friar Bonaventura, Giovanni justifies. The superiority of incestuouys love over socially accepted forms of affection. He says, “Say that we had one father, say one womb… Gave both of us life and birth; are we not therefore each to other bound, So much the more by nature, by the links of blood, of reason nay, if you will have’t, Even of religion.”Giovanni's immaturity and intellectual pride drives him to employ logic and argument to justify his incestuous desires, rather than to inhibit them. Giovanni’s misuse of “natural” reason to justify his “unnatural” love for his sister raises the play’s key issue: what might the incest itself symbolize? If love in the broadest sense sense indicates a relationship of connection and responsibility, then there are red blended between and among the various kind of love; parental love of children, filial love of sibling, erotic love, and the “love” of a ruler for his people. Considering they play in the context of contemporary events sheds light on the significance of the “unnatural” in social