AO3 Flashcards
Blackfriars Theatre
first performed 1613-14
indoor theatre- use of candles and intimate
very small venue- private and intimate
Lady Arabella Stuart
she lived near Blackfriars Theatre
Married Duke William Seymour
King James I imprisoned her in Tower of London in 1611
Starved to death in 1613- similar to DOM who says she will starve herself
William Gouge wrote what book in 1622?
Of Domestical Duties which said the husband is the highest in the family… king in his own house
she may do nothing against God’s will, but many things she must do against her own will if her husband requires he
Thomas _____ said what?
Smith
the wife to tarry at home, nurture the children and family of them both and keep…home neat and tidy’
Henry ____ wrote what book in 1596?
-Smith-Preparative to Marriage- a marriage is called Conjugium, which signifieth a knitting or joining together
Dod and … said what in 1598?
Cleaver
she may in modest sort show her mind, and a wise husband will not disdain to hear her advice, and follow it also if it be good
What does Bus… say about the TDOM when he saw the performance in 1618?
all this acted in condemnation of the grandeur of the Catholic Church, which they despise and which in this kingdom they hate to the death
malicious and supestition and for laughter and mockery
What does Giovanni Dominici (1401) says about wives asking for permission?
listen to your husband and ask him for permission
What does Bernadino Carroli (1581) say about women and greed?
gluttony is very negative especially for a woman
How does Revenge Tragedy allude to TDOM?- ghost urges revenge
angels on stage in 2024 Trafalgar production and resurrection
- tis your shadow
How does Revenge Tragedy allude to TDOM?- metatheatrically
I account this world a tedious theatre for i play a part
Ferdinand as Richard III ‘Give me a fresh horse’- intertexuality, believes he is entering the battlefield
How does Revenge Tragedy allude to TDOM?- murder
revenge for the duchess of malfi
boil their bastard to a cullis
i bind you to death
How does Revenge Tragedy allude to TDOM?- cannibalism
Trafalgar 2024 production- Ferdinand bites Cardinal’s ear
How does Revenge Tragedy allude to TDOM?- madness
a wolfs skin… hairy on the outside his on the inside
ambition, madam, is a good man’s madness
What does the 1612, Of Revenge, by Francis Bacon say about revenge? Refer to ars moriendi
in passing [revenge] over, he is superior-
TDOM- ars moriendi- let my girl say her prayers
What does the 1612, Of Revenge, by Francis Bacon say about revenge and wounds?
man studieth revenge, keeps his wounds green which otherwise would heal
- Satan- bent on man’s desturction, all pleasures to detroy
Ferdinand- was i her judge? (regret)
What does the 1612, Of Revenge, by Francis Bacon say about revenge?
revenge is a kind of wild justice
-bosola- revenge for the Duchess M
-God- chewed bitter ashes, submit to thy husbands
what book about witchcraft was published by James I
daemonlogie- believed that lycanthropia was an ‘superabundance of melancholy’
Who was the pope famous for the acquired wealth that he gained?
Rodrigo de Borja
head of Catholic Church form 1492 to 1503
he fathered several children under several mistresses
gain most advantageous terms for his own family
Borgia- byword for nepotism
How does the context of Borgia help out with TDOM?
corruption by Cardinal- own wealth advantage- ‘bestow bribes’
Cardinal has a mistress- thou art a witty false one- enjoys having a mistress
King James I
comes to power in 1603
writes Daemonlogie in 1597- fascination about the supernatural
moved his mother Queen Mary of Scot’s dead body from Scotland to Westminister Cemetary in 1612- highlighted fears of moving bodies
not a meritocratic society- George Villiers was given status based on his romantic relationship with James I
was a patron for the King men
Gunpowder Plot in 1605- fears of Catholicism bc Guy Fawkes was Cath
Baron George Berkeley
Webster wrote to Berkeley asking him to be his patron
His letter was not sycophantic
every man bestow their own
Queen Elizabeth II
came to power in 1558
refused to marry or have children
susceptible to plots like Babington Plot
heart and stomach of a King
Martin Luther
Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses (1517)
that the Bible is the central religious authority
that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds
Oliver Cromwell
He was against the monarchy and wished for Charles I to be removed.
He believed the leader should be elected. however, even after his overthrow, people were sceptical about him.
republican
Francis Bacon
wrote ‘Of Revenge’ in 1612
‘revenge is wild justice’
‘a man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal and do well.’
Niccolo Machiavelli
He created the concept of a Machiavellian character, where a ruler should be ruthless to gain power. (1513)
‘it is better to be feared than to be loved’
‘the end justify the means’
Desiderius Erasmus
Humanistic belief in an individual’s capacity for self-improvement and the fundamental role of education- Duchess uses moral decision to get with Ant and how A and E exercise free will.
Praise of Folly- 1511=The essay is a satirical work, and it criticizes the European society of the time, superstitions, and the Roman Catholic Church.- Duchess goes against blind tradition- human folly, Cardinal’s blasphemy
The Education of a Christian Prince-1516- an evil prince is like a plague to his country… who has great power joined with his wickedness.- Satan
Ars Moriendi-1533- death is a gateway to heaven
Descartes
Passions of Our Soul
around 1643
6 passions: wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy, sadness
and the way to gain mastery over these passions is to work hard enough at training and guiding them
How does Aristotle’s symptoms of a tragedy relate to the texts?
tragic hero will most effectively evoke both our pity and our terror if he is neither thoroughly good nor thoroughly evil but a mixture of both.- Satan’s character
Such a man is exhibited as suffering a change in fortune from happiness to misery because of a mistaken act, to which he is led by his - satan and the Duchess
Martin Luther (15th): works are pleasing…
on account of faith’
Busino in 1618 said the play was a ‘condemnation of…
the grandeur of the Catholic Church’
When did the gunpower plot happen and how can this influence our reading of TDOM?
It happened in 1605, there was quite strong anti-catholic sentiment following which can explain the corrupt depiction of the church in TDOM
Martin Luther (15th): ‘thus God wears the mask of the Devil…
and the Devil wears the mask of God’- on suffering being a part of God’s plan
How was the original Blackfriars Theatre religiously significant?
It was built on the site of a former Catholic monastery– catholic ghost
What was the concept of ‘courtly love’?
A love defined by nobility and chivalry, often including some type of love poetry idolising the woman with a proper procedure of courting before anything actually happens between the man and woman (unlike the rush of the Duchess and Antonio’s marriage)
How did James I react to the marriage of Arabella Stuart and John Seymour (both heirs to the throne)?
He imprisoned Seymour in prison and placed Arabella on house arrest
How does the story of Arabella Stuart and John Seymour end?
They both try to escape across the channel in 1611 but Arabella is captured and imprisoned again, she dies in 1615 due to refusing to eat while imprisoned in the Tower of London (Seymour survives)
What is Ars Moriendi?
The art of dying– the idea that death can be done in a correct, beautiful, fulfilling way
What is Memento Mori?
Remember you’re mortal/dying– a Renaissance fixation with our mortality, that we’re fleeting and that we will die
How did plague inform the 17th century idea of memento mori?
In the 17th century you were never far from death and it was all around due to things like waves of plague– e.g 1593 wave killed 10k people in London alone– this mentality informs memento mori
Who was George Villiers?
A courtier of James I
Was given titles based on looks
Unmeritrocratic society
There’s a saucy and ambition
Duke of Buckingham
Link to Bosola- earnestly seeking to climb the ranks
Link to Antonio- doesn’t want to part of those raising up their status
Sieruta: Erasmus views the body as ‘a tent pilgrimaging…
to the true home in heaven’
Erasmus: Death is a…
‘gateway to heaven’
‘the entrance to heavenly joys’
Which stoic, virtuous characteristics did Erasmus laud during death?
“faith, hope and charity”– he believes we should take on death in the manner as Christ on the cross, with dignity and acceptance
Donne’s defence of suicide in (1608) ‘Biathanatos’: “not so naturally sin, that it..
may never be otherwise’.
What was the penalty for a suicide attempt in the 17th century?
Death
Francis Bacon: revenge is…
a kind of wild justice’– the state gains full control over revenge through death penalty (vs medieval blood feud)
In what book did Hobbes describe the body politic? What year?
Leviathan (1651)
What does Machiavelli says?
‘it is important to appear religious’
‘he who seeks to decieve will always find someone who will allow himself to be decieved’
John Knox describing women in government: “monstrous…
regiment’
When was King Charles beheaded?
1649
In Webster’s letter to Baron Berkeley requesting patronage, he describes nobility as…
‘relic of time past’
What was Queen Elizabeth’s motto and what does it have parallels with in TDOM?
Semper Eadem (always the same) vs ‘I am Duchess of Malfi stilll’
How was Arabella Stuart linked to the first showing of TDOM?
She previously lived in Blackfriars area and was a local figure
When did Thomas Beard write ‘The Theatre of God’s Judgements’? How is the chapter on TDOM titled?
1597– “Of Whoredoms Committed Under Colour of Marriage”
How does Beard interpret the Duchess and Antonio’s marriage in ‘The Theatre of God’s Judgements’?
He claims it is fornication and illegitimate because they did not go through proper ceremony– a more Christian interpretation of the real story
Beard in ‘The Theatre of God’s Judgements’: God “used him…
…as an instrument to punish” – the Cardinal is setting the Duchess’s wrongs to right by killing her
Beard in ‘The Theatre of God’s Judgements’: The Duchess and Antonio’s marriage is “so far from deserving the name of Marriage, that […]
…it can be nothing but plain whoredom and fornication”
How does Painter describe the reason for Antonio’s fall in ‘The Palace of Pleasures’?
“a Gentleman that had forgotten his estate”
How does Painter describe the reason for the Duchess’s fall in ‘The Palace of Pleasures’?
A woman “that was not very wyse”
When did Painter write ‘The Palace of Pleasures’?
1586
The Duchess in ‘The Palace of Pleasures’ on the Cardinal: “what Christianity in a Cardinal, to…
…shed the blood which he ought to defend?”– his morality is questioned
What century did Castiglione belong to? What did he write?
16th century– ‘The Book of the Courtier’
Hopkins: “Renaissance fascination…
…with anatomy”
Hopkins: “what happens inside a woman’s mind or body” was…
..”a topic of crucial interest” in Renaissance England
Dodoeans in ‘A Newe Herball’ (1578): Apricots “loose the belly and…
…engender noughtie humours”
Crooke: The liver “contains the faculty…
..of lust and desire”
What did Aristotle say about women in tragedy?
That women could not be tragic heroes because the traits associated with heroism are incompatible with femininity
Aristotle: “it is not appropriate for a woman..
…to be manly or clever” (so they can’t be heroes)
Sidney in ‘An Apology for Poetry’ (1595): Tragedy “opens the greatest wounds, and shows forth…
…the ulcers that are covered with tissue”
Sidney in ‘An Apology for Poetry’ (1595): Tragedy “teaches the…
…uncertainty of this world”
Who is the Lady Katherine Willoughby?
- The Duchess of Sussex
- received an offer to marry the polish king
- But married Richard Bertie, master, household
What is a cilice (penitence shirt)?
A shirt made of hair usually worn by Catholics
Rough and painful
Remind one of their faith
Link to Ferdinand- wolfs hair…. Not the outside but from the inside- reminded of his lack of faith and pain
Who is Giovanna d’Aragona?
Her life mirrors the actual play
She fell in love with her steward Antonio Bologna
Lived from 1478-1510
Book of Common Prayer
1552- should get marry in the church
Condemns hand clasping
What is hand clasping
Catholic tradition to get married by clasping hand
Denounced by Protestant
What is the Body Politic?
Thomas Hobbes
The Leviathian
The court is like a common fountain
Areopagitica
Proponent of free speech
Those who understand
Milton’s Divorce Tracts
Pioneer of divorce
Grounds of incompatibility
Believed in free will
How many did James I not call the parliament?
11 years- tyrannical figure
