Duchess of Malfi and Streetcar Context Flashcards
What did lycanthropy and werewolves represent in Jacobean England?
Social anxieties about the relationships between human mind and body
How does Jacobean revenge tragedy differ from Elizabethan?
Darker themes without the comic element
Which theatre company first performed The Duchess of Malfi?
The King’s Men
What is the key exploration of Jacobean drama?
Tragedy is displayed though presentations of political and historical unrest, with cynicism toward corruption of authority - political satire
How does Jacobean drama explore the human condition?
Presents human complexities using corruption, sex, violence and the human capacity for evil
What influenced the questioning of social order in Jacobean drama?
The growing tensions between Cavalier hedonism and Puritanism
What do supernatural or psychological elements represent in Jacobean drama?
Disrupted order and guilty consciences
How do Jacobean dramas lack poetic justice?
Virtues are unrewarded, extending corruption and sense of tragedy - e.g. the death of the Duchess and Cariola
Why did the Senecan revenge tragedy resurge in the Jacobean period?
The Gunpowder Plot (1605) raised questions about social and religious dissatisfaction and the morality of violence and revenge
How is the religious condition of Jacobean England shown in the Duchess of Malfi?
Religious conflict is noted through the blatant presentation of corruption the Catholic Church through the Cardinal - reflects the national leanings towards Protestantism
What is the relevance of the Italian setting?
Birthplace of the Renaissance and centre of the Catholic Church - used by Jacobean dramatists as a theatrical metaphor reflecting deceit and corruption and a distant commentary on the English court
What political philosophy is reflected throughout the Duchess of Malfi?
Machiavellian
What is a malcontent?
An archetype of early modern drama - observes and voices dissatisfaction with the often Machiavellian political system, sometimes builds self-awareness of the play itself
How does the Duchess of Malfi present marriage conventions of the nobility?
Marriages were transactions, women used as political currency
What was the Duchess of Malfi based on?
Giovanna d’Aragona, Duchess of Amalfi, was widowed aged 19 in 1498, married Antonio de Bologna and was murdered by her brothers
What was Webster’s source?
William Painter’s ‘The Palace of Pleasure’ 1567
What is the medieval theory of macrocosm and microcosm?
The monarch’s physical and emotional state represents the kingdom as a whole
What was the political context reflected in the Duchess of Malfi?
The court of James I was famous for its corruption and profligacy, characterised by lavish spending and financial greed
How is Social Darwinism show in Streetcar?
The individualism promoted by the American Dream leads to a ‘survival of the fittest’ culture
How did Williams’ writing reflect his father?
He was a domineering working class salesman, alcoholic and negligent
How did Williams’ writing reflect his mother?
She was a Southern Belle, higher class and well educated and resented his father for his dishonourable reputation
How did Williams’ writing reflect his sister?
She suffered mentally and was institutionalised after failing to recover fully from a bilateral prefrontal lobotomy
What was the Harlem Renaissance?
1920s - embracing of African American culture through visual arts, literature and music
What is the relevance of the setting of New Orleans?
It had emerged from the Great Depression as a cultural melting point, a vibrant and liberal setting with an emerging working class to support the industrial economy
