The White Devil (Quotes) Flashcards
Flamineo relishes his role as the machiavel
“We are engag’d to mischief,”
Act 1, Scene 2
Bracciano (seemingly) chivalrous/romantic in his love for Vittoria
“Quite lost, Flamineo”
Act 1, Scene 2
Cornelia and Flamineo argue over how to deal with their difficult social position.
“CORN. What! because we are poor
Shall we be vicious?
FLAM. Pray, what means have you
To keep me from the galleys, or the gallows?”
Analysis of: "CORN. What! because we are poor Shall we be vicious? FLAM. Pray, what means have you To keep me from the galleys, or the gallows?"
Cornelia: Voice of conventional christian morality.
Flamineo 1: Rhythm, enjambement and rhetorical question demonstrate his clarity of thought, persuasiveness and independence.
Flamineo 2: He has no choice. He can either become a slave to great men (galleys, slave ships) or die (gallows, hanging).
Conjurer’s prophetic remark on the power of great men.
“(Exit Bracciano)
Both flowers and weeds spring when the sun is warm,
And great men do great good, or else great harm.
(Exit)”
Marcello and Flamineo are ____ for Camillo’s death (start of Flamineo’s downfall)
“committed”
Evidence of Flamineo fearing for his safety during trial scene. Accidentally gives away information.
Monticelso refers to Vittoria’s “bawd” (pander, usually female) and Flamineo responds “Who, I?”, Monticelso clarifies that he is actually referring to “The Moor” (Zanche).
Vittoria strong/heroic even after being sentenced, pointing out curruption.
"VIT. I must first have vengeance. I fain would know if you have your salvation [...] VIT. A rape, a rape! MONT. How? VIT. Yes, you have ravished justice, Forced her to do your pleasure. MONT. Fie, she's mad." (Act 3, Scene 2)
Flamineo criticised the politics in religion.
“Religion! O how it is commeddled with policy.”
Act 3, Scene 3
Parallel between Flamineo and Lodovico.
MARCELLO. [aside] Mark this strange encounter.
Act 3, Scene 3 - The two meet
Flamineo and Lodovico recognise their similarities (companions in misfortune).
“Shalt thou and I join housekeeping?” (at first sarcastic)
“Precious girn, rogue / We’ll never part.”
Both are hapless victims of “fortune’s wheel”
Lodovico’s further hypocritical comment on Flamineo.
“These rogues that are most weary of their lives
Still scape the greatest dangers.
A pox upon him. […]
[…] I’ll forget him, and go drink some wine.
[exuent]”
Lodovico’s immediate hostility and hypocrisy towards Flamineo, after previously being in agreement.
Immediately after he recieves his “pardon” from the dying pope, at the “ernest suit” of Francisco (having previously mocked “laughing fool[s]”:
“FLAM. Why do you laugh?
There was no such condition in our covenant.
[…]
LOD. Your sister is a damnable whore”
Flamineo comments on evils of society (possible allusion to hell).
“As in this world there are degrees of evils, / So in this world there are degrees of devils”
(Act 4, Scene 2)
Flamineo realises the extent of his decline.
“I am falling to pieces already,”
Act 5, Scene 4
Flamineo comes close to repentance.
“I have a strange thing in me, […]
Compassion.”
“I have lived riotously ill.”
Flamineo’s self-revelation is uncharacteristic of him.
“And sometimes, when my face was full of smiles
Have felt the maze of conscience in my breast.
[…]
We think caged birds sing, when indeed they cry.”
Flamineo doesn’t subscribe to any religion?
“what religion’s best / For a man to die in?”
Flamineo finds some peace in dying.
“there’s some goodness in my death, / My life was a black charnel”
Analysis of:
“there’s some goodness in my death, / My life was a black charnel”
Goodness in Flamineo’s death?
- Cures society of one source of evil
- Allowed him to have a final ‘honest’ vision
- Conventions of revenge tragedy have been fulfilled: dies for transgressing moral laws (meta-theatricality)
- Message to others: Evil not a solution to difficult situations (Cornelia’s words prove true).
Flamineo courageous in the face of death (like Vittoria).
“I do dare my fate / To do its worst.”
Flamineo vows to kill Vittoria if she doesnt grant him what he wants.
”. . . All these
Shall with Vittoria’s bounty turn to good,
Or I will drown this weapon in her blood.”
Vittoria’s dream
"A foolish idle dream: [...] . . . a goodly yew-tree [...] Your duchess and my husband [...] They told me my intent was to root up / That well-grown yew, and plant i' the stead of it / A wither'd blackthorn; and for that they vow'd / To bury me alive. [...] When to my rescue arose, methought, / A whirlwind; . . . [...] And both were struck dead by that sacred yew" (Act 1, Scene 2)
Camillo’s stupidity
“Pew wew,”
Act 1, Scene 2
Francisco and Monticelso are willing to sacrifice Vittoria in their plot against Bracciano (Evidence of Francisco’s callousness).
“There’s small pity in’t;”
End of Act 2, Scene 1
Vittoria described as a possession.
“He [Camillo] bought you of your father.”
Vittoria’s response to Bracciano’s accusations (after Francisco’s feigned love letter).
“What have I gained by thee but infamy?
. . . and I do wish
That I could make you full executor
To all my sins. O that I could toss myself
Into a grave as quickly. For all thou art worth,
I’ll not shed one tear more; I’ll burst first.
[She throws herself upon a bed]”
Analysis of:
“. . . and I do wish
That I could make you full executor
To all my sins. O that I could toss myself
Into a grave as quickly. For all thou art worth,
I’ll not shed one tear more; I’ll burst first.
[She throws herself upon a bed]”
“I’ll not shed / one tear more; I’ll burst first.”
- Ulcer imagery. She sees her relationship with Bracciano as like that of an ulcer.
“O that I could toss myself / Into a grave as quickly. […]
[She throws herself upon a bed]
- These two things in conjunction symbolise how the “bed” will inevitably be the same as the “grave”. Woman claiming sexual freedom will only lead to death.
Vittoria and Zanche (supposedly) kill Flamineo.
“[They shoot and run to him and tread upon him]
FLAM. […]
Perform your vows, and bravely follow me.
VITT. Whither? To hell?
ZAN. To most assuréd damnation.”
(Act 5, Scene 6)
Analysis of:
“[They shoot and run to him and tread upon him]
FLAM. […]
Perform your vows, and bravely follow me.
VITT. Whither? To hell?
ZAN. To most assuréd damnation.”
Trampling: A visual image of women getting their revenge for being metaphorically trampled underfoot by men. Only time they can do this is when a man is ‘dead’.
Vittoria and Zanche’s speech: Completing each other’s iambic pentameter. Women working together.
Vittoria dies not loving Bracciano (expressing distain for ‘great men’
She never “knew great men but by report!”
Act 5, Scene 6
Vittoria in difficult situation without Bracciano
“lost forever”
Act 5, Scene 3
Vittoria dies not knowing the destination for her soul.
“like to a ship in a black storm”
Act 5, Scene 6
Monticelso’s vulgar/graphic and misogynistic definition of a whore (evidence of his perverted sexuality).
"Shall I expound whore to you?" "sweet-meats which rot the eater; in man's nostril Poisoned perfumes." "They are the true material fire of hell," ". . . your rich whores Are only treasuries by extortion filled, And emptied by cursed riot." (Act 3, Scene 2)
Bracciano assumes he is above church and state law.
“And this divorce shall be as truly kept, / As if the judge had doomed it”
(Act 2, Scene 1)
Bracciano’s ambitious promises to Vittoria.
Promises her that she is “lodged within his arms who shall protect you” and that he will seat her “above law and above scandal”
