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For other uses, see The Duchess of Malfi (disambiguation).

The Duchess of Malfi is a macabre, tragic play, written by the English dramatist John Webster and first performed in 1614[1] at the Globe Theatre in London, and published for the first time in 1623. Macabre is a quality of certain artistic or literary works characterized by a grim or ghastly atmosphere A play, or stageplay, is a form of Literature written by a Playwright, almost always consisting of Dialogue between Fictional characters England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland John Webster (c 1580 &ndash c 1634 was an English Jacobean Dramatist, and a late contemporary of William Shakespeare. The Globe Theatre was a Theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. It is loosely based on true events that occurred between about 1508 and 1513, recounted in William Painter's The Palace of Pleasure (1567). William Painter (1540? - February 1594 London) English author was a native of Kent. The Duchess was Giovanna d'Aragona, whose father, Arrigo d'Aragona, Marquis of Gerace, was an illegitimate son of Ferdinand I of Naples. Gerace (Ierax Gerakion is a town in the Province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy. Ferdinand I of Naples should not be confused with Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, a latter king of Naples Her husbands were Alfonso Piccolomini, Duke of Amalfi, and (as in the play) Antonio Bologna.

The play begins as a love story, with a Duchess who marries beneath her class, and ends as a nightmarish tragedy as her two brothers exact their revenge, destroying themselves in the process.

The play is sometimes ridiculed by modern critics for the excessive violence and horror in its later scenes. [2] Nevertheless, the complexity of some of its characters, particularly Bosola and the Duchess, and Webster's poetic language, give it a continuing interest, and it is still performed in the 21st century.

Contents

Characters

Main themes

The main themes of the play are: misuse of power, revenge, the place of women, what happens when women are in power, the consequences of unequal marriage, cruelty, corruption and the duties of a ruler.

Plot

The play is set in the court of Malfi (Amalfi), Italy over the period 1504 to 1510. Amalfi is also a town in the Antioquia Departament in Colombia. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The recently widowed Duchess falls in love with Antonio, a lowly steward, but her brothers, not wishing her to share their inheritance, forbid her from remarrying. However, she secretly marries Antonio and bears him several children.

The Duchess' lunatic and incestuously obsessed brother Ferdinand threatens and disowns her. In an attempt to escape, the Duchess and Antonio concoct a story that Antonio has swindled her out of her fortune and has to flee into exile. She takes Bosola into her confidence, not knowing that he is Ferdinand's spy, and arranges that he will deliver her jewellery to Antonio at his hiding-place in Ancona. Ancona (Ankon is a city and a seaport in the Marche, a region of central Italy, population 101909 (2005 She will join them later, whilst pretending to make a pilgrimage to a town nearby. The Cardinal hears of the plan, instructs Bosola to banish the two lovers, and sends soldiers to capture them. Antonio escapes with their eldest son, but the Duchess, her maid and her two younger children are returned to Malfi and executed by Bosola. This experience, combined with a long-standing sense of injustice and his own feeling of a lack of identity, turns Bosola against the Cardinal and his brother, deciding to take up the cause of "Revenge for the Duchess of Malfi" (V. 2).

The Cardinal confesses to his mistress Julia his part in the killing of the Duchess, and then murders her to silence her, using a poisoned Bible. Next, Bosola overhears the Cardinal plotting to kill him (though he accepts what he sees as punishment for his actions), and so visits the darkened chapel to kill the Cardinal at his prayers. Instead, he mistakenly kills Antonio, who has just returned to Malfi to attempt a reconciliation with the Cardinal. Bosola stabs the Cardinal, who dies. In the brawl that follows, Ferdinand and Bosola stab each other to death.

Antonio's elder son by the Duchess appears in the final scene, and takes his place as the heir to the Malfi fortune, despite his father's explicit wish that his son "fly the court of princes", a corrupt and increasingly deadly environment.

Quotations

"We are merely the stars' tennis balls, struck and bandied
Which way please them. "
-- Bosola, to Antonio after accidentally stabbing him. Act 5, Sc. 4
"A Spanish fig for your impudence"
-- Bosola, to Antonio after being accused of poisoning the Duchess. Act 2, Sc. 3
"Do you not weep?
Other sins only speak; murder shrieks out.
The element of water moistens the earth,
But blood flies upwards and bedews the heavens. "
-- Bosola, to Ferdinand upon gazing on the dead body of the Duchess. Act 4, Sc. 2
"Cover her face. Mine eyes dazzle. She died young. "
-- Ferdinand, after looking at the dead body of his sister the Duchess. Act 4, Sc. 2
"She and I were twins;
And should I die this instant, I had liv'd
Her time to a minute. "
-- Ferdinand, after looking at the dead body of his sister the Duchess. Act 4, Sc. 2
"It seems she was born first:
You have bloodily approv'd the ancient truth,
That kindred commonly do worse agree
Than remote strangers. "
-- Bosola, in response to Ferdinand. Act 4, Sc. 2
"Whether we fall by ambition, blood or lust,
Like diamonds we are cut with our own dust. "
-- Ferdinand's dying words. Act 5, Sc. 5
"Diamonds are of most value
They say, that have pass'd through most jewellers
hands"
-- The Duchess, talking about remarrying. Act 1, Sc. 1
"Whores, by that rule, are precious. "
-- Ferdinand, in response to the above quote

The 1623 quarto

The first printed edition contains a combined cast list for two productions of The Duchess of Malfi by the King's Men, c. The King's Men was the company of actors to which William Shakespeare (1564&ndash1616 belonged through most of his career 1614 and c. 1621, providing valuable information about the structure and evolution of the key dramatic company of the era. The printer was a Nicholas Okes, and the publisher John Waterson. Nicholas Okes (died 1645 was an English printer in London of the Jacobean and Caroline eras remembered for printing works of English Renaissance John Waterson (died February 10, 1656) was a London publisher and bookseller of the Jacobean and Caroline eras he published significant works Webster dedicated the play to George Harding, 8th Baron Berkeley, a noted patron of literature in his era. George Harding 8th Baron Berkeley (1601 &ndash August 10, 1658) was a seventeenth-century English nobleman and a prominent patron of literature in his generation The phrasing of Webster's dedication indicates that the dramatist was soliciting the Baron's patronage, rather than acknowledging support already given; it is unknown to what degree that solicitation was successful.

Reception and performance history

The play was written for and performed by the King's Men in 1613 or 1614. The double cast lists included in the 1623 quarto suggest a revival around 1619. Contemporary reference also indicated that the play was performed in 1618, for in that year Orazio Busino, Venetian ambassador to England, complained of the play's treatment of Catholics in the character of the Cardinal. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the

The quarto's cast list allows more precision about casting than is usually available. Richard Burbage and Joseph Taylor successively played Ferdinand to Henry Condell's Cardinal. Richard Burbage ( January 7, 1568 &ndash March 13 1619) was an Actor and theatre owner Joseph Taylor (died 1652 was a 17th-century actor As the successor of Richard Burbage with the King's Men, he was arguably the most important actor in the later Henry Condell (d December 1627 was an actor in the King's Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote John Lowin played Bosola; William Ostler was Antonio. John Lowin (baptized 9 December 1576 &ndash buried 16th/ 18 March 1659) was an English actor born in the St Giles-without-Cripplegate William Ostler (died December 16, 1614) was an actor in English Renaissance theatre, a member of the King's Men, the company of William Boy player Richard Sharpe originated the title role. Boy player is a common term for the adolescent males employed by Medieval and English Renaissance Playing companies. Nicholas Tooley played Forobosco, and Robert Pallant doubled numerous minor roles, including Cariola. Nicholas Tooley (c 1583 &ndash June 1623 was a Renaissance actor in the King's Men, the acting company of William Shakespeare.

The quarto title page announces that the play was performed at both the Globe Theater and at Blackfriars; however, in tone and in some details of staging (particularly the use of special lighting effects) the play is clearly meant primarily for the indoor stage. The Globe Theatre was a Theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. Blackfriars Theatre was the name of a Theatre in the Blackfriars district of the City of London during the Renaissance.

The play is known to have been performed for Charles at the Cockpit-in-Court in 1630; there is little reason to doubt that it was performed intermittently throughout the period. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. The Cockpit-in-Court (also known as the Royal Cockpit) was an early Theatre in London, located at the rear of the Palace of Whitehall

The play remained current through the first part of the Restoration. Samuel Pepys reports seeing the play several times; it was performed by the Duke of York's company under Thomas Betterton. Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703 was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for Thomas Patrick Betterton (ca 1635 &ndash 28 April 1710) English Actor, son of an under-cook to King Charles I, was born in

By the early eighteenth century, Webster's violence and sexual frankness had gone out of taste. In 1733, Lewis Theobald wrote and directed an adaptation, The Fatal Secret; the play imposed neoclassical unities on the play, for instance by eliminating the Duchess's child and preserving the Duchess at the end. Lewis Theobald (baptised April 2, 1688 &ndash September 18, 1744) British textual editor and author was a landmark figure both Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and By mid-century, the play had fallen with Webster out of the repertory, where it stayed until the Romantic revival of Charles Lamb and William Hazlitt. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Charles Lamb is the name of Charles Lamb (writer (1775-1834 a British essayist Charles Lamb (politician (1891-1965 a Canadian William Hazlitt ( 10 April 1778 &ndash 18 September 1830) was an English Writer remembered for his humanistic Essays and

In 1850, after a generation of critical interest and theatrical neglect, the play was staged by Samuel Phelps at Sadler's Wells, with Isabella Glyn in the title role. Samuel Phelps (1804-1878 was an English Actor, born in Devonport. Sadler's Wells Theatre is the name of six theatres that have been built since 1683 at a site on Rosebery Avenue Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington Isabella Glyn Dallas (1823-1889 was a well-known Victorian -era Shakespearean actress The text was adapted by Richard Henry Horne. Richard Hengist Horne (born Richard Henry Horne) ( 1 January 1803 – 13 March 1884) English Poet and Critic The production was favorably reviewed by The Athenaeum; George Henry Lewes, however, registered disapproval of the play's violence and what he termed its shoddy construction: "Instead of ‘holding the mirror up to nature,’ this drama holds the mirror up to Madame Tussauds. The Athenaeum was a literary magazine published in London from 1828 to 1921 George Henry Lewes (18 April 1817&ndash28 November 1878 was an English Philosopher, literary and theatre critic " These would become the cornerstones of criticisms of Webster for the next century. Still, the play was popular enough for Glyn to revive her performance periodically for the next two decades.

Shortly after, Duchess came to the United States. Working with Horne's text, director James Stark staged a production in San Francisco; this version is noteworthy for a sentimental apotheosis Stark added, in which the Duchess and Ferdinand are reunited in heaven. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The most popular American productions, however, were produced by Wilmarth Waller and his wife Emma. Emma Waller (1819 &ndash February 28 1899) was an English actress who achieved fame in America

William Poel staged the play at the Opera Comique in 1892, with Mary Rorke as the Duchess and Murray Carson as Bosola. William Poel (1852-1934 was an English actor theatrical manager and dramatist best known for his presentations of Shakespeare The Opera Comique was a 19th-century opera house constructed between Wych Street and Holywell Street with entrances on the East Strand. Poel's playscript followed Webster's text closely apart from scene rearrangements; however, reaction had set in, and the production received generally scathing reviews. William Archer, England's chief proponent of Ibsen's new drama, took advantage of the occasion to lambast what he saw as the overestimation of Elizabethan theater in general. William Archer ( 23 September 1856 &ndash 27 December 1924) Scottish Critic, was born in Perth, and was educated

In 1919, the Phoenix Society revived the play in London for the first time in two decades. The production featured Cathleen Nesbitt as the Duchess; Robert Forquerson played Ferdinand. Cathleen Nesbitt, CBE ( 24 November 1888 &ndash 2 August 1982) was an English actress of Welsh The production was widely disparaged. For many of the newspaper critics, the failure indicated that Webster had become a "curio"; T. S. Eliot, conversely, argued that the production had failed to uncover the elements that made Webster a great dramatist--specifically his poetry. Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM (September 26 1888 – January 4 1965 was a poet Dramatist, and Literary critic. A 1935 production at the Embassy Theatre received similarly negative reviews; Ivor Brown noted that the audience left "rather with superior smiles than with emotional surrender. Ivor John Carnegie Brown (1891&ndash1974 was a British Journalist. " In 1938, a production was broadcast on BBC television; it was no better received than the previous two stage productions.

In the aftermath of World War II, George Rylands directed a production at the Haymarket Theatre that, at last caught the public mood. George Humphrey Wolferstan Rylands CH CBE ( 23 October 1902 &ndash 16 January 1999) known as Dadie Rylands, was Haymarket Theatre (Leicester|Her Majesty's Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket or Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre is a West End theatre in John Gielgud, as Ferdinand, accentuated the element of incestuous passion in that character's treatment of the Duchess (played by Peggy Ashcroft). Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH ( 14 April, 1904 – 21 May 2000) known as Sir John Gielgud, was an Dame Peggy Ashcroft DBE ( 22 December, 1907 &ndash 14 June, 1991) was an acclaimed Academy Award -winning English Cecil Trouncer was Bosola. Edmund Wilson was perhaps the first to note that the play struck an audience differently in the wake of the revelation of the Holocaust; this note is, from 1945 on, continually struck in discussions of the appropriateness of Webster for the modern age. Edmund Wilson ( May 8, 1895 &ndash June 12 1972) was an American Writer and A 1946 production on Broadway did not fare as well; Rylands attempted to duplicate his London staging with John Carradine as Ferdinand and Elisabeth Bergner as the Duchess. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located John Carradine ( February 5, 1906 &ndash November 27, 1988) was an American Actor, perhaps best known for his roles in Elisabeth Bergner ( August 22 1897 &ndash May 12 1986) was an actress W. H. Auden adapted Webster's text for the modern audience. Wystan Hugh Auden (21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973 ˈwɪstən ˈhjuː ˈɔːdən who signed his works W However, the production's most notable innovation was in the character of Bosola, which was played by Canada Lee in whiteface. Canada Lee, born Lionel Cornelius Canegata, ( March 3, 1907 &ndash May 9, 1952) was an American Actor who pioneered The production received savage reviews from the popular press, and it fared little better in the literary reviews.

The first successful postwar performance in America was staged at the off-Broadway Phoenix Theatre in 1957. Directed by Jack Landau, who had earlier staged a brief but well-reviewed White Devil, the production emphasized (and succeeded as) Grand Guignol. The Grand Guignol ( pronounced giɲɔl was a theatre ( Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol) in the Pigalle area of Paris (at 20 bis rue As Walter Kerr put it, "Blood runs right over the footlights, spreads slowly up the aisle and spills well out into Second Avenue. Walter Francis Kerr ( July 8, 1913 &ndash October 9, 1996) was an American writer and Broadway theater critic "

Ashcroft returned as the Duchess in a 1960 production at the Aldwych Theatre. The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. The play was directed by Donald McWhinnie; Eric Porter played Ferdinand and Max Adrian the Cardinal. Eric Richard Porter (8 April 1928 - 15 May 1995 was a distinguished English actor who appeared on stage as well as in cinema and television Max Adrian ( 1 November 1903 &ndash 19 January 1973) was an Irish stage, Film and Television Actor Patrick Wymark played Bosola. Patrick Wymark ( 11 July 1926, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England — 20 October 1970, Melbourne The production received generally favorable but lukewarm reviews. In 1971, Clifford Williams directed the play for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Clifford Williams (1926 &ndash 20 August 2005) was a Welsh Theatre director and stage actor. The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC is a British Theatre company Judi Dench took the title role, with Geoffrey Hutchings as Bosola and Emrys James as the Cardinal. Dame Judith Olivia Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA, (born 9 December, 1934) usually known as Judi Dench, is an English Geoffrey Hutchings (born 1939 in Dorchester Dorset, United Kingdom) is a British actor from stage, Movies and Television. Emrys James ( 1 September 1930 - 5 February 1989) was a Welsh Shakespearean Actor. Dench's husband Michael Williams played Ferdinand, casting which highlighted the sexual element of the play's siblings. Michael Leonard Williams ( 9 July 1935 &ndash 11 January 2001) was a British Actor.

In 1980, Adrian Noble directed the play at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. Adrian Keith Noble (born Chichester, Sussex, England, 19 July 1950) is a Theatre director, and was also the Artistic Royal Exchange Theatre is a producing theatre in St Ann's Square/Exchange Street Manchester, England. This production received excellent notices; it was transferred to London, where it won the London Drama Critic's Award for best play. Helen Mirren played the title role; Mike Gwilym played Ferdinand, and Bob Hoskins played Bosola. Dame Helen Mirren, DBE (born 26 July 1945 is an English stage, Film and Television actress. Robert William "Bob" Hoskins Jr (born 26 October 1942 is an English Actor, known for playing Cockney rough diamonds and gangsters and Pete Postlethwaite was Antonio. Peter William Postlethwaite OBE (born February 7, 1945; IPA: 'pɒsəlθweɪt is an Academy Award -nominated English Mirren's performance received special acclaim.

The actor-centered troupe led by Ian McKellen and Edward Petherbridge chose Webster's play as one of their first productions. Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939 is an English stage and screen actor the Edward Petherbridge (born on 3 August 1936 in Bradford) is a British Actor. The production premiered in January 1986 in the Lyttelton Theatre of the Royal National Theatre. The Royal National Theatre, located on the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Philip Prowse's direction was highly stylized, the scenic backdrop segmented, and the actors' movements tightly controlled. The result, as Jarka Burian noted, was "a unified, consistent mise-en-scene. . . without enough inner turbulence to create a completely satisfying theatre experience. " Eleanor Bron played the Duchess; Mckellen played Bosola, Jonathan Hyde Ferdinand, and Petheridge the Cardinal. Eleanor Bron (born 14 March, 1938) is a British stage film and television actress and authoress Jonathan Hyde (born May 21, 1948) is an Australian-born English stage actor

The Swan staged a new production in 1989; Harriet Walter took the part of the Duchess; Nigel Terry and Stephen Boxer alternated as Bosola; Bruce Alexander was Ferdinand and Russell Dixon the Cardinal. The Swan Theatre is a theatre belonging to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Harriet Mary Walter, CBE, (born September 24, 1950) is a British Actress. Nigel Terry (born August 15, 1945) is a British stage and Film actor probably best known by movie audiences for his portrayal of King Stephen Boxer (born 19 May 1948 is an English actor who has appeared in films on television and on stage and is currently best known for appearing in the BBC One daytime Bruce Alexander is an English Actor, perhaps most famous for his portrayal of Superintendent Mullet in the ITV television series A Touch

Gale Edwards directed the 2000 production at The Barbican. Barbican Centre is the largest Performing arts centre in Europe Aisling O'Sullivan played the Duchess; Tom Mannion played Bosola, and Colin Tierney was Ferdinand. Aisling O'Sullivan is an award-winning Irish actress who starred in the movie The Butcher Boy as Francie's mentally unstable mother Tom Mannion is a British actor His television credits include Brookside, Up the Garden Path, The Bill,

Phillip Franks directed the 2006 production at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill Imogen Stubbs played the Duchess, and the play had a post-fascism theme evident in the costumes and scenery. Imogen Lady Nunn, known as Imogen Stubbs (born 20 February 1961) is a British Actress who was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Media adaptations

In popular culture

References

  1. ^ "Duchess of Malfi, The" The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Ed. Margaret Drabble. Oxford University Press, 2000. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Cambridgeshire Libraries. 23 June 2007 [1]
  2. ^ Jack, Ian. "The Case of John Webster. " Scrutiny XVI (1949): 43.
  3. ^ See [2] for additional info.

External links

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