Analyzing Historical and Cultural Perspectives of Women's Roles in the Early Modern Period through John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi

              Analyzing Historical and Cultural Perspectives of Women’s Roles in the
Early Modern Period through John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi
Student: Ivy King, English
Professor: Susan Cosby Ronnenberg, English
Viterbo University
Synopsis
-The Duchess of Malfi, an aristocrat, secretly marries
her steward, Antonio with the help of her maid,
Cariola
-The Duchess’s brothers, the Cardinal and Ferdinand,
place Bosola, a spy, in her household
-The couple keeps their marriage a secret long enough
to have three children
-In their imprisonment, the Duchess, Cariola, and the
two children are murdered by Bosola
-Antonio is killed, and Bosola decides to kill the
brothers
Marriage and Education
-Rules over Amalfi at 21
-The Duchess- “Twas my wedding ring / and I did
vow never to part with it / but to my second
husband” (1.1.406-408)
-A witness validates marriage
-The rules are different for a woman of aristocratic
blood
-A Humanist education
Introduction
John Webster’s play The Duchess of Malfi (1623)
represents women’s roles of the early modern period
through a retelling of an actual historical person’s
story, Giovanna d’Aragona. The play highlights
marriage customs, expectations of women, education,
and religious customs.
Cultural Expectations of Women and Being
of Aristocratic Blood
-As head of the family, Ferdinand has control over the
Duchess
-Duty to her family
-Widows of the time do have more economic and
social independence
-The Duchess- “Let them, like tyrants / never be
remembered but for the ill they have
done” (4.1.105-106)
Religious Expectations
-Cariola- “I do not like this jesting with religion / this
feigned pilgrimage” (3.2.316-317)
-Pilgrimages were not unusual
-The Duchess and Cariola play with religion
-A “betrayal of her family’s prestige” (Amendola 146)
Works Cited
Amendola, Barbara Banks. The Mystery of the Duchess of Malfi. Sutton, 2002.
Bevington, David, et al, editors. “Introduction to The Duchess of Malfi” English Renaissance Drama: A Norton
Anthology. WW Norton, 2002, pp.1749-1754.
Webster, John. “The Duchess of Malfi.” English Renaissance Drama: A Norton Anthology. Editors, David Bevington,
Lars Engle, Katharine Eisaman Maus, and Eric Rasmussen, WW Norton, 2002, pp. 1755-1830.
Wiesner, Merry E. Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge A Map of Italy in the 15th UP, 1993.
Century
A Map of Naples
A Portrait Presumed to Be the
Duchess of Amalfi
A Copy of The Duchess of Malfi Printed in 1623