The Duchess of Malfi

When comparing The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster and William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the women have a strong connection. In the sense of power, the Duchess resembles traits that of Hermia, and Cariola compares to Helena. Although, the plots and outcomes differ from one another, the characters remain connected. Hermia and the Duchess are women who hold a lot of power, but do not have the power of choosing their husbands. Instead, they have their partners in life chosen for…

This drama study will define the conflict of male gender dominance and violence towards women in The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster and Woyzeck by Georg Buchner. In Webster’s play, the duchess is continually at the mercy of her brother, Ferdinand, because he does not want her to inherit their father’s money. The duchess has an illicit love affair with Antonio, which makes it possible for Ferdinand and the Cardinal to have her executed for an illicit love affair. This form of male gender…

tragedies, The Tragedy of Macbeth (1623) by William Shakespeare, and The Tragedy of the Duchess of Malfy (1623) by John Webster. On the one hand, these plays depict women who are subjected to male powers, and their characters are governed by masculine ideas of womanly behaviour. On the other hand, female protagonists are able to be active agents, and…

It is a common belief that during the 17th century women were seen as inferior to men and their actions and behaviors were usually extremely restricted on what they were allowed or not allowed to do in predominantly patriarchal societies they lived in. Such social construction was an opportunity for women to criticize the realities that they had to face which “allowed” them more control in their lives. Although the shift or traditional gender roles was small, more authors began illustrate the…

It’s interesting, really, to see some of my old papers from middle and high school. I look back and laugh at the time, maybe around the third grade, when my classmates and I would groan and complain about having to write an ENTIRE PARAGRAPH. Now, after years of writing significantly longer academic papers that stretch far beyond a simple paragraph, my style and the depth of my topics have evolved based on what I’ve read. The most important pastime for anyone who wishes to write, unsurprisingly,…

brother to the duchess of Malfi. As the readers get further into the play they are made aware of the strange behavior taking place regarding his sister. His insane obsession with his sister is demonstrated throughout the whole play and starts to present itself in Act I. I. 252-253 where Ferdinand inserts Bosola into the Duchess’ life as a master of horse so he can spy on her. Ferdinand is adamant that since his sister is a young widow, she should not marry a second time. The Duchess is a noble…

women are all driven by lust, widows who remarry are not far removed from whores. Naturally shameless, women also neglect their reputation and weak in both mind and will, they succumb easily to amorous advances and smooth tales of courtship”. The Duchess' body was merely viewed as an object of trade whose ownership shifted from the father to the husband. But after the husband's demise she will be the possession of the male members of the family, both her body and off-springs. Thus, Ferdinand and…