Duchess of Malfi context Flashcards
What were the inspirations for the Duchess of Malfi?
The real Duchess of Amalfi, and the ‘Palace of Pleasure’ by William Painter, ‘cautionary tales’ that display women’s attempts to gain personal autonomy, and the consequences that come with trying.
Who wrote the Palace of Pleasure?
William Painter
When was the Duchess of Malfi written?
1612 (Jacobean England)
Where did John Webster grow up?
Smithfield’s Meat Market, where young Webster was exposed to public executions and livestock on display.
How did Webster’s parents jobs play a pivotal role in shaping his style of revenge tragedy?
They were coachmakers, which exposed young Webster to the dark side of Jacobean England. Prostitutes used the coaches for their ‘services’ and the coaches were sometimes rented out as funeral cars which transported the coffin to the funeral.
The coaches were, as James Shapiro puts it, ‘built on tragedy’
Why is Blackfriars theatre a good place to perform the duchess of malfi
- The enclosed space of the theatre created a more intimate and personal performance
- And the dark atmosphere connoted the darkness that surrounded the duchess as well as highlighting her as a individual figure of virtue
Why is the gunpowder plot of 1605 important
- Because it created a sense of ‘the enemy within’ building suspicion and paranoia in the government.
- It shows that terrible leadership is likely to end in a rebellion
- It questions the dissatisfaction of living under oppressive governments. (Bosola)
Who played the duchess and other female characters originally?
Men
What does the Palace of pleasure by William painter portray the duchess as?
A lustful character, which inspired Webster to retell the story and portray her in a more sympathetic view, oppressed by the sexist gender norms of the time.
Where does Webster get his inspiration for the nature of DoM court?
- King James I, corrupt, machiavellian court. - - The king ‘had favourites’ and would regularly promote people he liked to power, especially scots, as a Scottish king, Scottish followers in the royal court received £40,000 per year, while English followers received £10,000, which led to many sycophants.
- James also spent extravagantly
What does machiavellian mean?
Inspired by italian philosopher Nicolo Machiavelli, to be ‘machiavellian’ means to want to grasp power by any means possible.
Jacobean England was very patriarchal, for example..
Married women couldn’t legally own property, meaning they had to rely on a husband to live in a home.
What does Ferdinand give to the Duchess
A dead man’s hand
Why is ‘The Duchess’ title an honour and burden
- The high rank title represents her independent nobility
- however the duchess is bound by the expectations tied to her role: family honour, chastity
What does Webster critique with the Duchess of malfi?
He critiques the rigid hierarchies and patriarchal oppression of Renaissance court life
