fdefrefregtrgtrgtr fdfdThe Duchess of Malfi (originally published as The Tragedy of the Dutchesse o f Malfy) is a macabre, tragic play written

by the English dramatist John Webster in 1612 13.[1] It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, then before a more general audience at The Globe, in 1613-14.[2] Published for the fi rst time in 1623, the play is loosely based on true events that occurred between about 1508 and 1513, recounted in William Painter's The Palace of Pleasure (156 7). The Duchess was Giovanna d'Aragona, whose father, Arrigo d'Aragona, Marquis of Gerace, was an illegitimate son of Ferdinand I of Naples. Her husbands were A lfonso Piccolomini, Duke of Amalfi, and (as in the play) Antonio Bologna. The play begins as a love story, with a Duchess who marries beneath her class, a nd ends as a nightmarish tragedy as her two brothers exact their revenge, destro ying themselves in the process. The play is sometimes criticised by modern critics for the excessive violence an d horror in its later scenes.[3] Nevertheless, the complexity of some of its cha racters, particularly Bosola and the Duchess, and Webster's poetic language, giv e it a continuing interest, and it is still performed in the 21st century. Contents [hide] 1 Characters 2 Main themes 3 Plot: Brief synopsis 4 Plot: Scene by scene breakdown 5 Historical staging 6 The 1623 quarto9:29 PM 7/16/2011 7 Reception and performance history 8 Media adaptations 9 In popular culture 10 Notes 11 References 12 External links Antonio Bologna. Antonio has recently returned from France, and full of scorn fo r the Italian whom he sees as more corrupt than the French. Antonio is the stew ard of the Duchess of Malfi s palace. His honesty and good judge of character are characteristics that are well known to the other characters in the play. He acce pts the Duchess proposal of marriage because of her disposition, rather than her beauty. His status, being lower than that of the Duchess, hinders their relation ship. Their marriage has to remain a secret, leaving him without the title or mo ney of the Duchess. Bosola kills him, accidentally. Delio. A cortiers, who tries to woo Julia. A friend of Antonio, his purpose in t he play is to be the sounding board for Antonio. He acts as a narrator and is pr ivy to the secrets of Antonio s marriage and children. (He is based on a historica l character of the same name.) Daniel de Bosola. A former servant of the Cardinal, now returned from a sentence of imprisonment in the galleys for murder. Sent by Ferdinand to spy on the Duch ess as her Provisor of Horse. [Note 1] He is employed by Ferdinand to spy on the Duchess in hopes of keeping her away from marriage. He is involved in the murde r of the Duchess, her children, Cariola, Antonio, the Cardinal and Ferdinand, an d a servant. Upon witnessing the nobility and fearlessness of the Duchess and An tonio facing their deaths, he then experiences guilt. Though he was the one who arranged her death, he then seeks to avenge it. Bosola can be considered the mos t complex character in the play since he goes from being a killer without remors e, and then changes and is filled with regret. Being the malcontent of the play, he tends to view things cynically, and makes numerous critical comments on the nature of Renaissance society. He is frequently characterized by his melancholy. (He is based on the historical Daniele de Bozolo, about whom less is known.) The Cardinal. The brother to the Duchess and Ferdinand. He is a corrupt, icy off icial in the Roman Catholic Church, but as was frequently the case at that time in history, doesn't live a moral lifestyle; he has hired a spy to prey upon his sister, and has a mistress. He is a part of the plot to spy upon the Duchess, ho wever, he remains quiet and leaving others unaware that he is even involved in t

he plotting. He shows little to no remorse or feelings of love or loyalty. The r easons for his dislike to his sister are not clear since he does not long for he r love or money.(Historically, his name was Luigi or Lodovico.) Ferdinand. The Duke of Calabria, and twin brother of the Duchess. Unlike his rat ional brother the Cardinal, Ferdinand is given to fits of rage and violent outbu rsts. He is emotional and overreacts to an extent disproportionate to the percei ved offence. Through the course of the play he loses his sanity, but upon seeing his dead sister, regrets hiring Bosola to kill her. His insanity increases in s everity and in this state of mind, he believes he is a wolf and digs up graves. (In reality, his name was Carlo, and he was Marquis of Gerace.) Castruchio. An old lord. His name is a play on the word "castrated", suggesting impotence. He belongs to the conventional character type of the elderly man with a young, unfaithful wife (Julia). Roderigo. A cortiers. Grisolan. A cortiers. Silvio. A cortiers. Pescara. A marquis. The Duchess. The chief tragic protagonist, a young widow, and the sister to Ferd inand and the Cardinal. At the beginning of the play, she is a widow in the prim e of her life. Though her brothers take every precaution to keep her from marria ge, she secretly marries Antonio. Her brothers, who hire someone to strangle her , murder her. She is described as having a sweet countenance and noble virtue. S he is witty, clever, and can keep up with her brothers banter. She contrasts her brothers in that she has a tenderness and warmth that they lack. She has three c hildren in the play, two sons and a daughter, by Antonio. There is an inconsiste ncy surrounding earlier children by her deceased husband in the play, put down t o a careless mistake by Webster himself. Cariola. Duchess's waiting-woman and privy to the Duchess's secrets. She witness es the Duchess's wedding, and delivers her children. Dies tragically by strangli ng shortly after the Duchess and the youngest children. Her name is a play on th e Italian carriolo meaning "trundle-bed", where personal servants would have sle pt. Julia. Castruchio's wife, and the Cardinal's mistress. She dies at the Cardinal' s hands from a poisoned Bible. Malateste. A hanger-on at the Cardinal's court. The name means 'headache'. Refer red to as a "mere stick of sugar candy" by the Duchess, he is yet another interc hangeable cortiers designed to convey the sycophantic and superficial nature of the court of Malfi. Doctor. Sent for to diagnose and remedy Ferdinand's madness and his supposed "ly canthropia". There are also a variety of minor roles including couriers, servants, officers, a mistress, the children, executioners, and various others. They are used as a l iterary device to further the plot or to perform small tasks that cannot be acco mplished by a major role. [edit]Main themes