Context Flashcards
True Story
-Based on an Italian novella, which in turn is based on true historical events
-The real Duchess, Giovanna d’Aragona, married Antonio Beccadelli in secret and bore him three children
-She was murdered by her brothers, one of whom was a Cardinal, in 1510
Date Written
1614
How Webster deviates from the story
-Antonio didn’t die until a few years after the Duchess’ death
-Bosola’s repentance and revenge on the brothers is fictionalised
-Brothers weren’t accused or killed
First performed by…
The King’s men, the theatre company that Shakespeare belonged to
First performed in…
-Blackfriars
-More intimate and frequented by intellectuals
-Allowed for more sneaking and subtle lighting
Tragedy
Play with a central protagonist of elevated social station, who consistently makes the wrong decision because of a flaw which leads to their downfall
Aristotle’s theory of tragedy
Serious, has magnitude, is dramatic
-Only deals with one issue
-Feelings of pity and fear are central
Revenge tragedy
-Prominent play in the 17th -Century
-Portray extreme violence
What revenge tragedies were about
-Lack of justice
-Punishment in Jacobean was very harsh as a deterrent
-Idea was people shouldn’t take justice into their own hands as it’s up to God
-People who take it into their own hands escalate it
-Demonstrate the dangers of exacting such revenge
Elements of revenge tragedy
-Court setting
-Murder
-Madness, the ‘malcontent’
-Issue of ‘machiavellian’
-Exploration of religion
The Great Chain of Being
-God was perceived to have allocated the social hierarchy
-To change it would be usurping God’s powers and going against him
-Ultimate sin to defy the Great Chains of Being
The malcontent
-Character who is mistreated and condemns their society
-But it prepared to use any means to gain promotion in the same society
The Machiavellian
-After Machiavelli wrote an instructional book in 1513, the Machiavel became a stereotype in drama for villains who used manipulation or cruelty to acquire and maintain power
Why 17th Century women were subordinate to men
The roots of these attitudes lay in the bible, when Eve is persuaded to dishonour god and eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge
Which women were seen as independent
Women who did not display the traditional feminine virtues - modesty, chastity, obedience - were seen as a threat to social fabric and were often publicly punished
Hippocrates attitude towards the womb
That it was a free moving organ that moved around the body causing hysteria. It was characterised as a mental illness that caused paralysis, spasms and general pain. Ferdinand’s attempts at making the Duchess insane link to this
Bedlam and mental illness
-Bedlam was a hospital specialising in mental illness
-Visitors would pay to see patients even without any relation to them
-When public access in 1770 ended patient abuse began
Suspects of witchcraft
Any females who were old, physically disabled, suffered from a mental disorder, had an irritable personality or were widowed could be suspected of witchcraft. Legislation existed so that possession of herbs like mandrake or cannabis could result in execution by burning. It was a common belief that witches could hunt or even kill and so communities staged witch hunts
What did James I write about Witchcraft
‘Daemonologie’, an examination of necromancy and Black Magic, in 1597 - fascinated, imagery familiar to jacobean audience
How did Webster censor
Setting plays in Italy - safe to explore politically unaccpetable ideas.
Stoicism
The endurance of pain and hardship without complain or the expression of emotions. The Duchess is the most “ character, she welcomes her death with dignity.
The White Devil (1612)
Webster’s first play which was not well-received initially. It has similarities to Malfi, however: both involve the supernatural, both focus on a heroine and both are tragedies.
How was corruption started in court
When James was a young man - others attempted to flatter him to boost influence
Church vs State
The country was divided into a two system rule - church and providence, and therefore two systems of judgment - divine and temporal. There was conflict between the two in the Jacobean era
James and the English Church
Church system still adhered to an episcopate and supported the monarch’s position as the head of the church.
But there were many more Roman Catholics and James inherited a set of penal laws which he was constantly exhorted to use against them. James had said that he would not persecute “any that will be quiet and give but an outward obedience to the law” but he soon reinforced strict penalties against Catholics.
Obsession with Protestantism and the Virgin Queen
Catholics were viewed as disloyal from the Virgin Queen’s ascension, Mary Queen of Scots was suspected of treason and was executed in 1587. The Duchess’ power and seemingly Protestant actions liken her to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth I’s war speech
‘I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king’
James I’s sycophants
-Surrounded by them in court
-Suspicion of homosexuality
Body Politic vs Body Natural (Renaissance)
-Body Politic: Needs of the state
-Body Natural: Needs of a person
Calvinism
Reformed Christianity, emphasises the sovereignty of God and the authority of the Bible
Puritanism
Regarded the Reformation of the Church under Elizabeth I as incomplete and sought to simplify and regulate forms of worship.
William Painter’s ‘Palace of Pleasure’
-Duchess of Malfi is based off
-Criminalised the Duchess (lusty)
