For instance, the Cardinal frequently engages in bribes and deceit he recently let a man named Bosola-who has also just returned to court-be imprisoned for a murder he ordered. He tells his best friend Delio that France has eliminated corruption from their courts, unlike Italy. In Act I, Antonio, steward to the Duchess of Malfi, has just returned from France. It also contains anti-Black and antisemitic language, which are not replicated in this guide, and outdated and offensive words for women and people with intellectual disabilities, which are replicated only in quoted text. This study guide uses the 1997 Revels Student Edition by Manchester University Press, edited by John Russel Brown.Ĭontent Warning: The source material contains on-stage violence, murder, mental/emotional torture, and suicidal ideation. His blatant criticism of power and the play’s implicit support of societal transgression could potentially be read either as unsubtle narrative craft or bold political statement.
His play deals openly and often shockingly with matters of sexuality, violence, and betrayal. It was only in the late 20th century that scholarly, annotated versions of the play became more widely available and Webster’s reputation was reconsidered. Though the play’s popularity continued through the 20th century, scholarly attention branded the play mediocre, clumsy, and cheap. In the 19th it experienced another surge of popularity, now with women playing the title role, unlike the boy actors of its original run. After this, it was performed regularly throughout the 17th century but fell out of fashion in the 18th. Plays were banned during the English Civil War, from 1642 until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.
From this, scholars can tell that the play had one run in the mid-1610s and a revival in the early 1620s. When the quarto edition was published in 1623, it became the first play published in English that included a cast list attributing certain actors to certain parts. That same year it was also performed to a general audience at the Globe.
It was written in 1613 and performed to a private audience at Blackfriars Theatre a year later. Webster also wrote the revenge tragedy The White Devil and frequently collaborated with other playwrights working for the King’s Men in London. The Duchess of Malfi, originally published as The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy, is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by John Webster.
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