marriage Flashcards
‘the m - - - - - - - n - - - - is t- - en - - - - - - in - - s - - - p - - - - - ‘
‘the marriage night is the entrance into some prison’ — cardinal
Cardinal refers to marriage as a prison, implying once you are committed to the relationship you can never escape.
‘ w - - - y - - h - - - m - ? i’ll n - - - - m - - - - ‘
‘will you hear me? i’ll never marry.’
the duchess speaks up for herself, remaining defiant and asserting her power she has as the ruler. represents the switched roles in gender as the duchess is deciding for herself about marriage rather than her brothers controlling her.
‘ s - m - - - w - - - - - s - - ‘
‘so most widows say’
references the duchess’ exclamation regarding options of a new marriage. the cardinal remains sarcastic and pessimistic in his tone. he refers to widows as ‘most’ that the majority of women are expected to remarry? ensure they dont lose their elegance?
‘ m - - - - ? th - - s - - t - - m - - - lu - - - - - - - w - - - w - - tw - - - ‘
‘ marry? they say the most luxurious will wed twice’
ferdinand unknowingly foreshadowing what is going to happen, as she remarries in secret. the repetition of ‘most’ is featured from both the duchess’ brothers and marriage is almost a luxury for a lone widow, as if it is a new opportunity at life but also a prison to be trapped in
‘ i w - - - m - - - - y - - f - - y - - - h - - - - - ‘
‘i will marry you for your honour’
throughout the play the duchess has more dominance over antonio and in their relationship. she will marry him as if it is her choice over his own. webster says how it is ‘for [his] honour’ perhaps meaning he is a wise man that she entrusts her secrets to, including her love for him
‘ d - - - - - - - a - - of m - - - v - - - - , t - - - s - - , t - - - h - - - p - - - - - th - - - - - ‘
‘ diamonds are of most value, they say, that have passed through’
in the face of her brothers insistence that she is not remarrying, the duchess shoots back that women are like diamonds that accrue value by being hitched
‘ t - - m - - - - - of us t - - - a - - b - - - g - - - - , we a - - f - - - - - to w - - ‘
‘ the misery of us that are born great, we are forced to woo’
its hard for a duchess, no guy would dare put moves on her because of her rank (but she wants men lol) even the virtuous duchess has to resort to deceit to get the wheels turning. she doesnt once identify herself as a woman - her dilemma, as she conceives it, springs solely from her identity as a sovereign, a position that put her squarely into the role of the man in the courtship process
‘ w - - - - - - - t - - s - - - - - of g - - - - - - - - or of w - - - - r - - - - m - - - in h - - , i k - - - n - - , b - - it s - - - - ‘
‘whether the spirit of greatness or of woman reign most in her, i know not, but it shows’
a fearful madness (cariola). while cariola serves as the sole witness to the duchess and antonio’s marriage and promises to keep their secret, she thinks this whole thing is crazy. she’s loyal to the duchess, but doesnt know what to make of her decision to secretly marry her social inferior
‘ w - - s - - - - - - o - - - i of a - - t - - o - - - - p - - - - - - of t - - w - - - - be c - - - - up l - - - a h - - - r - - - - ? i h - - - y - - - - ‘
‘why should only i of all the other princes of the world be cased up like a holy relic? i have youth,’
the duchess wants to know why ferdinand is so adamant about refusing to let her remarry, and she is doing it in an interesting way. first she demands to know how anybody can tell a prince that he/she can’t remarry. then, in a move very characteristic of her interactions with ferdinand, the duchess changes tact and approaches the question from a different angle - shes a young, single woman. its only natural that she marries.
‘ y - - v - - - - - - a s - - - - - - - - o’th’c - - - - - s - - - - m - - - y - - ‘
‘you violate a sacrament o’th’church shall make you’
the duchess, whos been oppressed by patriarchal power throughout the play, is here authorising herself and her marriage through the patriarchal power of the church. essentially, rebelling against ferdinand by submitting to rule of man power. also, given what happens later, the duchess’ promise that ferdinand will ‘howl in hell’ makes it sound like she’s cursing him to turn into the werewolf he eventually becomes
‘ i c - - be a - - - - w - - - - - - th - - r - - - - - - ; t - - - - is n - - in n - - - - - a t - - - - t - - - m - - - - m - - s - d - - - - - - , so b - - - - - - ‘
‘ i can be angry without this rupture; there is not in nature a thing that makes man so deformed, so beastly’
when they hear that the duchess has given birth, ferdinand goes mental. the cardinal however, plays it cool and tells ferdinand if he wants to get revenge he has to chill. the cardinal frames anger as dehumanising and this comment foreshadows how ferdinand, whos all about the ‘deformed, beastly’ anger, ends up transforming into a werewolf
