general context Flashcards
the Jacobean Pamphlet wars
“querelle de femme”
possibly reflecting James I’s misogyny and increasing anxiety about women’s interrogation of their socio-political reality
duchess of malfi and pamphlets
Leah Marcus argues that the play could “well have been viewed by contemporaries as a DRAMATIC CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEBATE”
Swetnam’s view
“women are (…) like the spider which weaves a fine web to hang a fly” - like to Blanche at the “tarantula”
idea of hypocrosy in which men are actually the “spiders”
putting such misogynistic words in the mouth of an unequivocal villain problematises any reductive view of the play as merely mirroring misogynistic discourse - MIGHT THIS NOT BE WEBSTER’S WAY OF UNDERMINING OR EVEN CONTRADICTING SUCH VIEWS?
Link webster’s presentation of duchess and the pamphlets
rather than appearing chaste and virginal, she acknowledges that she is “flesh and blood” and has the concomitant desires that come with it
she claims antonio for “her husband” and responds to “what pleasure can two lovers find in sleep?”
part of the duchess’s complexity is that she is aware of the stereotypes she has transcended
webster doesn’t allow the duchess to be a victim of patriarchal silencing. her voice literally echoes after she dies, and even bosola admits she ‘haunts’ him - or is the echo another limitation??????
conclusion
throughout the course of the play webster makes clear that the spirit of greatness and of woman can be aligned
to swetnam’s claim that women ‘can neither say nor do well’, the duchess is the perfect ‘redargution’
webster about duchess motherhood and sexuality
webster makes very clear throughout that the duchess’s overt sexuality and nurturing motherhood are not incommensurate - to the very end she is concerned for her little boy and girl; to her husband she is ‘best of my life’
vs stella and motherhood which feels more passive
madness in 17th century
The Duchess of Malfi deals with madness in a way that aligns with Jacobean attitudes toward power and the “unnatural.”
religious/supernatural views
madness was frequently seen as either a divine punishment, a consequence of sin, or the result of supernatural forces
Divine Punishment: The Duchess’s eventual demise and descent into madness can be interpreted in this context. Her tragic fate, though caused by the cruel actions of her brothers, is also seen as part of the larger cosmic or moral order, where the defiance of social and gender norms (like her secret marriage) may have been seen as a transgression deserving of punishment.
psychiatric treatment in 20th century
The play is heavily influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis, which was a dominant framework for understanding mental illness at the time. Freud’s theories about repressed desires, unconscious drives, and childhood trauma are central to Blanche’s character.
saw the rise of psychiatric hospitals as the primary means of dealing with severe mental illness. Individuals who experienced psychotic breaks, like Blanche at the end of the play, would be sent to psychiatric institutions. However, these institutions were often overcrowded, and there were numerous reports of poor conditions and mistreatment of patients. Electric shock therapy and lobotomies were also being used as treatments during this time, both of which were highly controversial and often inhumane.
compare contextual madness in the two
In The Duchess of Malfi (early 1600s), madness was understood in a religious, moral, and supernatural context, and treatment, if any, was cruel, involving isolation or punishment.
By the time of A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), the medical model of mental illness was more prevalent, and psychiatric institutions and therapies (albeit sometimes harsh) were seen as the solution. However, stigma and gender biases still affected the treatment and understanding of mental illness.
