Appearance and deciet Flashcards
qoutes from both texts
Cariola says she is ‘Quick with child’ to get some mercy but this is viewed as necessary deceit compared
- Links closely to when Bosola gives the duchess apricots because “eating of the apricots are apparent signs of breeding” to test whether the duchess is with child.
Fruit symbolic of awakening of the truth
May when she says “ a womman in my plit may han to fruit so greet an apetite”
which is deceit to get sexual satisfaction
- Fruits often symbolise/ represent over indulgence, earthly pleasures etc. in both these cases they do. (Bosola wants money and May wants pleasure)
Fruit is awakening of pleasure
Hir myddel smal, hire armes longe and sklendre,
- januaries description of May
Antonio’s description of Duchess
“her discourse .. so full of rapture” “sweet countenance”
- doesn’t focus on her physical appearance reflects the trueness of their love for each other.
” tooke a mirour, polisshed bryght,And sette it in a commune market-place, “ ( metaphorical not literal mirror but but reflects the desires of Januarie rather than actual image so that in itself is a form of deceit)
contrasts greatly with physical mirror that duchess holds up when she sees the reflection of her brother while combing her hair - “ for know, whether i am doomed to live or die i can do both like a prince” - does not lie or deceive when caught she sees things clearly and is not blind like Januarie is.
“His nature is too honest” - Antonio is honest and true he does not decieve and is a good man
Damian who also serves the upper class “ he gooth as lowe as ever did a dogge for the bowe.
- he tricks his master after sleeping with his wife and appears loyal.
old are seen negetively by men -
“pittes brink” “slakke skin about his nekke shaketh’
older women ‘no womman thirty yeer of age it is beut bene-straw and greet forage” ( i.e rough and unproductive)
BUT women are not afraid i.e duchess “when i wax grey, i shall have all the court to be like me”
Vs “i feel my lymbes stark and sufficeient”
Bosola makes fun of castruchio “ your knightcap expresses your ears sufficient largely”
old woman “she looked like a nutmeg grater after she resembled an abortive hedgegog” - implies queen elizebeth with small pox who covered it up with heavy white makeup but webster is using the example of ‘a lady in france’
Januarie and the brothers care about their appearance to wider society
“shall our blood, he royal blood of Aragon + castille , Be thus attained?”
context: duke Carlo, real ferdinand, denounced his sister as a “ false and vile bitch” as they had excessive pride for their Aragonian blood
Januarie was excessie when speaking of how he wanted legitimate heirs “ me levere houndes had me eaten than myn heritage sholde falle in straunge hands” - as a knight legitimate heir is necessary to pass property wouldve have mattered a lot to the contemporary audience
Bosola as a intelligencer - “fantastical scholar” but kills people for Ferdinand
“and this he did to gain the name of a speculative man”
merchant appears to be ‘in dette’ but pretends not to be by having ‘a forked beard and ‘flounderish beaver hat”
both keeping up a persona
BUT for their own reasons i.e perhaps merchant wants to have a good story (as a pilgrim) so he pretends to be in bad marriage and keeps up a persona whilst Bosola needs to survive in corrupt world so chooses to be corrupt at first
both Januarie and Antonio appear to be blind
- Antonio “what think you of my hope of reconcilment to the aragonion brethren? “ - dramatic irony Antonio is blind to the reality naive in thinking so.
’ for wedlock is so easy and so clene”
‘a man may do no syn with his wyf ne hurte hymself with his owne knyf” (parsons tale contradicts this and says he can) Januaries wrong interpretation shows his lack of understanding of true nature of marriage.
comparisons of May and duchess when she gets caught - may appears shameless “ye maze, ye maze good sire”
“this thank have i for i have made yow see”
but duchess is dignified keeps her fear hidden “ for know, whether i am doomed to live or die i can do both like a prince”
- even when talking about coffin she covers it up with wit “ of what stuff will though make it” rather than being shameless or begging.
Ferdinand appears to be human but to himself he thinks he is a wolf . doctor says he transformed into wolves’ and digs dead bodies up’
Januarie is made to sound like a vampire sucking the life out of women “bet than old beoff is a tender veel”
both apear animalistic when theu desire.
Bosola appears to be a old man dressed enters to talk to duchess about death preparations. has to put on an actual persona when dealing with the upper class can not be himself as it requires him to come to terms that he is a murderer
Placebo also has to put on a persona as he has been ‘ a court man all my lyf” and he has learnt “ a ful greet fool” is any counselor who thinks he has an opinion.
use of false medicene for things that cant be fixed i.e Ferdinands mental state - ‘the white of a cockatrices egg is present remedy” prescribed by doctor but is acctually dangerous toxin . Doctor appears to be fixing him but is actually trying to kill him
Januarie uses ‘ ypocras, claree and vernage” despite feeling his “lymbes to be stark and sufficeint” but acts like its to give him ‘corage’ but hes decieving himself to think he would perform well as may is ‘still as stoone’
Bosola decieves Cardinal and is sycophantic but Cardinal doesnt realise because of court corruption is normalised
“anything; give it to me in a breath and let me fly to it”
Placebo is also sycophantic perhaps he chose to tell januarie his ‘counseil is the beste’ as he wanted him to suffer in painful marriage.
Julia appears to be helping cardinal “ remove this lead from your bosom whats the matter?”
Unlike May who doesn’t share her secrets even when she has a chance to tell the truth “ye maze”
Cardinal tries to not decieve Julia and warns her “be well advised and think what danger tis to recieve a princes secret
similar to justinus who tries to give sincere advise to Januarie and tells him “she may be your purgatorie” and ‘i woot well were wringeth my shoo” so he knows from experience
