The Duchess of Malfi

The Duchess of
Malfi
Study Guide by Course Hero
What's Inside d In Context
j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1

English Renaissance Drama
d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1
Drama in Renaissance England is traditionally divided into two
a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 3 periods: Elizabethan (1550s– 1603) and Jacobean (1603–30s).
The terms and dates reflect the flowering of theater, above all
h Characters .................................................................................................. 4
in London, during the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558–1603)
k Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 8 and James I (ruled 1603–25). In this era the four most
accomplished playwrights were Christopher Marlowe
c Scene Summaries .................................................................................. 13 (1564–93), William Shakespeare (1564–1616), Ben Jonson
(1572–1637), and John Webster (c. 1580–c. 1630).
g Quotes ........................................................................................................ 24
Renaissance drama drew on a number of diverse traditions.
l Symbols ...................................................................................................... 27
First, there were the indigenous mystery and morality plays of
m Themes ...................................................................................................... 28 the Middle Ages. Second, there were the ancient Roman
comedies of Plautus (c. 254–184 BCE) and Terence (c. 195–59
BCE), as well as the tragedies of Seneca (4 BCE–65 CE).
Finally, there were a number of narratives and story plots,
j Book Basics many from Italian sources that became available through
translations during the second half of the 1500s. A major
landmark in the development of drama was Marlowe's
AUTHOR
adaptation of blank verse—unrhymed iambic pentameter—to
John Webster
the stage.
FIRST PERFORMED
Although dramatic genres were somewhat flexible, by the time
1614
of the collection of scripts in the First Folio of Shakespeare
GENRE (1623), there were three standard types of play: tragedy,
Drama, Tragedy comedy, and history. Along with these genres, subsequent
scholarship focused on the period has distinguished romance,
ABOUT THE TITLE tragicomedy, and masque. Scholars have also singled out
The play is named for its protagonist, who is given the status of subgenres such as revenge tragedy and city (citizen) comedy.
a tragic heroine. She is the sole ruler, in her own right, of Malfi,
an independent duchy, or territory, on the western coast of Drama was enormously popular. In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I
Italy near the city of Naples. died and James the VI of Scotland became the new monarch,
King James I of England. James loved the arts and was very
generous to actors, playwrights, and other performers of the
day. In particular, James I loved the theater, and was
The Duchess of Malfi Study Guide In Context 2
captivated by Shakespeare's acting troupe, the Chamberlain's

Men. They were granted a Royal Patent and changed their The Italian Setting
name to the King's Men, in honor of James. By 1608 the King's
Men had a permanent winter home at the Blackfriar's Theatre For English theatergoers of Webster's time, the Italian ducal
and they played to a mostly rich and well-educated audience palace represented corruption and deception. This stereotype
(they spent the summer months at the Globe). Their creativity sprang from a number of sources: the somber political
began to flourish and they are credited with starting the new philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527), as expressed in
style of Jacobean drama. The Duchess of Malfi was performed his best-known work The Prince (1513); the prevailing loyalty in
at the Blackfriar's Theatre in 1614. The play was printed in folio Italy to the Roman Catholic religion and the Pope; and the
form in 1623. complex politics of the leading Italian city-states and noble
families, including the Borgias and the Medicis. These powerful,
Admission to performances was relatively cheap, and acting corrupt families controlled much of Italy, even holding positions
companies enjoyed noble and royal patronage. It is estimated in the Papacy at times. For example, Rodrigo Borgia was the
more than 20 theaters were built in London during 1576–1640. corrupt Pope Alexander VI who had mistresses and illegitimate
With the English Civil War (1642–51) having broken out in children. The Catholic Church was seen as being more about
earnest in August of 1642, the Long Parliament was now led by power and wealth than religion. This was also influenced by
Puritans, who viewed theaters as centers of vice. In 1642 the Henry VIII (1491–1547), King of England from 1509 to 1547.
Puritan ascendancy (when the Puritans gained power in Henry broke with the Catholic Church in order to annul his first
Parliament) abruptly put an end to public performances of marriage, and he embraced Protestantism by creating the
plays for 18 years. With the Restoration in 1660, theaters Church of England. Henry ordered monasteries and nunneries
reopened. sacked, and those who embraced Roman Catholicism were
sometimes put to death. At the beginning of the play, for
example, Antonio Bologna, who is newly returned from a visit
The Tragic Heroine to France, compares the French court to that of Malfi, to Italy's
distinct disadvantage. Italy was a Catholic country. Webster
In The Duchess of Malfi Webster created a singular also employs this anti-Catholic sentiment in the stereotypes he
protagonist, a tragic heroine with few parallels in the drama of employs in The White Devil.
this period. The Duchess's power, wealth, and sensuality
In The Duchess of Malfi Webster interlaces the setting with
combine to form a highly unusual combination of qualities—a
several of his principal themes, including corruption, deception,
cluster that many male theatergoers and readers might well
and cruelty. At the very beginning of the play, for example,
have found unnerving, or even threatening, regardless that in
Antonio Bologna, who has freshly returned from a visit to
Renaissance theater all roles, even those of females, would
France, compares the French court to that of Malfi, to Italy's
have been played by men.
distinct disadvantage. Although Malfi is home to a number of
Perhaps the closest theatrical parallel to Webster's Duchess is honorable characters, such as the Duchess of Malfi and the
found in Shakespeare's Cleopatra, who shares heroic status loyal courtier Delio, they are greatly outnumbered by
with her consort Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. scoundrels and criminals. Three of the play's most important
Shakespeare's tragedy was first performed around 1607, about characters—hired criminal Daniel de Bosola and the Duchess's
seven years before The Duchess of Malfi. The analogy two brothers, the Cardinal and Ferdinand—are deeply involved
between the two characters is only approximate, since in corruption.
Cleopatra's distinguishing traits—for example, her exotic
foreignness, from an English perspective—differ somewhat
from those of the Duchess. But Cleopatra's beauty, power, Webster's Use of Horror
intelligence, sensuality, independence, courage, and magnetic
eloquence strongly support a comparison with the Duchess. The Duchess of Malfi, along with The White Devil, employs
horror to a disconcerting, memorable degree. In the
Shakespearean canon, for example, the most bloody and
violent actions, with few exceptions, occur offstage. Webster,
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The Duchess of Malfi Study Guide Author Biography 3
however, confronts audiences directly with physical violence (c. 1559–1634), and John Marston (1576–1634) responded by
and psychological torture that fall little short of sadism, the producing Eastward Ho in 1605, only to be answered by
enjoyment of inflicting pain. In addition, the imagery in Dekker and Webster again in Northward Ho (c. 1605). Theater
Webster's dialogue habitually places shock and horror in the historians consider these "directional plays" as valuable
foreground. indicators of satirical and social drama in the first decade of
the 17th century.
The rationale for these features of Webster's dramaturgy
remains a mystery. Scholars are left wondering whether
Webster simply was an exploiter of audience shock and
emotion or a nihilistic denier of human value or virtue. Perhaps
Mature Plays
he wanted, by means of shock, to jolt his audiences into a more
The chronological gap between Northward Ho and Webster's
moral framework. So little is known of his life and philosophical
mature plays, which date from c. 1612–14, is commonly
outlook that the answers to these questions must remain
assumed to imply that Webster was, for much of his career,
obscure. Yet by analogy with Shakespeare—whose personal
very much a part-time playwright. Possibly he kept busy
beliefs remain just as obscure—audience members may guess
assisting his father and participating in business projects for
that Webster used horror judiciously as a means to an end: to
the Merchant Taylors' Company, of which the Webster family
chart the broad spectrum of human nature and behavior.
was a member.
The two most accomplished plays of Webster's career in the

a Author Biography theater, both of which he was sole author, are The White Devil
(c. 1612) and The Duchess of Malfi (c. 1614). Both are tragedies
based on Italian sources, but these dramas had strikingly
different fortunes with the public. The White Devil was a flop,
Early Life and Dramatic whereas The Duchess of Malfi was an outstanding success.
Collaboration Webster based the plot and characters of The White Devil on
relatively recent stories from Italy of the life and death of
Born around 1580, John Webster lived his entire life in London. Vittoria Accoramboni of Gubbio (1557–85), who lived at the
His father was a wagon and coach maker—a relatively new center of a complex web of intrigue, adultery, and murder. With
profession, and he enjoyed considerable status as a its emphasis on illicit sexuality, violence, decay, revenge, and
craftsperson of luxury items. Records reveal that young John treachery, the play etches a stark, cynical portrait of the dark
Webster was admitted to the Middle Temple, one of the Inns of forces in human nature.
Court, in 1598 for legal studies. He married 17-year-old Sara
In The Duchess of Malfi Webster reaches back in his sources
Peniall in 1606. They had their first of several children, a son
to Italy in the early 1500s. Many critics have noted similarities
they named John Webster III, about two months after the
with The White Devil: the portrayal of corrupt courtly societies,
marriage. Many details about Webster's life remain unknown.
for example, the ominous mood of terror, and the dark tone.
Like many Elizabethan and Jacobean playwrights But the heroine of this play, the Duchess herself, is far less
(Shakespeare was an exception), Webster fashioned much of ambiguous than Vittoria in The White Devil. Outstanding for her
his career in the theater as a collaborating author. His earliest virtue, courage, independence, and integrity, the Duchess is
known work, for example, was the result of a collaboration with that rare character in English Renaissance drama—an
Thomas Dekker (c. 1572–1632). This was a city comedy—a authentically heroic woman. Webster's play presents cruelty
satirical, realistic work set in London—entitled Westward Ho (c. that borders on sadism, and he touches on the theme of incest,
1604). The title refers to the cries of boatmen who worked on which was common in Jacobean drama.
the river Thames as water-taxi operators during the rapid
After these two plays, Webster was sole author of a
expansion of London in this period. The play made a striking
tragicomedy entitled The Devil's Law-Case (c. 1620). He also
impression on several of Webster's contemporaries. In fact,
collaborated with Thomas Middleton (1580–1627) on Anything
English dramatists Ben Jonson (1572–1637), George Chapman

The Duchess of Malfi Study Guide Characters 4
for a Quiet Life (c. 1621) and with William Rowley (c. 1585–1626)
on A Cure for a Cuckold (c. 1625). In 1624 he composed a Daniel de Bosola
pageant, a lavish procession or parade spectacle, entitled
Monuments of Honour to celebrate the induction of a member Daniel de Bosola, like the Duchess of Malfi, is a many-sided,
of the Merchant Taylors' Company, Sir John Gore, as Lord dynamic character. He starts the play as a cynical criminal,
Mayor of London. known for his melancholy. Something of a social striver, he

allows himself to be recruited by Ferdinand as a spy, even
though the Cardinal— Ferdinand's brother and Bosola's former
Webster's Achievement employer—treated Bosola poorly. Portrayed as quick witted

and as a master of deception, Bosola is also something of a
misogynist, as shown in his dialogues with the Old Lady in Act
Webster died around 1630, although some sources put his
2. He cooperates with Ferdinand's cruel plans yet shows
death closer to 1625. Webster's critical fortunes and the
increasing unwillingness to do so, as even he becomes
evaluation of his dramatic achievement have varied widely. A
repelled by such tactics. After the Duchess is murdered,
generation or so after the playwright's death, the great diarist
Bosola's conscience wins out, and he becomes a vehicle for
and theater fan Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) saw two
revenge against Ferdinand and the Cardinal. Unfortunately, he
performances of The White Devil and remarked, "I never had so
deals Antonio a lethal blow by accident—the very man he
little pleasure in a play in my life." However, Webster came into
wanted to protect. Bosola's nihilistic comments about moral
his own when he was highly praised by essayists and critics of
and physical corruption contribute to a key theme in the play.
the romantic movement, especially Charles Lamb (1775–1834)
and William Hazlitt (1778–1830). Hazlitt's judgment that
Webster's leading two tragedies "come the nearest to
Shakespeare" was particularly influential. Since the early Ferdinand
1800s, Webster's two greatest plays have generally been held
in high regard for their imaginative language, vivid stage Ferdinand, whose title is Duke of Calabria, is the most
effects, memorable characters, and ingenious plots. psychologically unbalanced character in the play. Act 1 begins
by portraying him as an unpredictable tyrant, bending his
courtiers to his petty whims. But it is soon apparent Ferdinand
h Characters
is also a master of deception. He engages Bosola as his
household spy at the Duchess's court, where Bosola is
appointed master of the horse. Ferdinand's main objective is to
monitor the Duchess's marital status. He hopes to profit
Duchess of Malfi financially and harbors incestuous desires for his sister. After
he learns the Duchess has borne a child, Ferdinand vents his
The Duchess of Malfi is portrayed with a many-sided rage, with anger akin to insanity, shocking even the Cardinal.
personality, combining humor, dignity, sensuality, and courage. From this scene onward, Ferdinand exhibits a steady decline
She is comfortable in her lofty position as ruler of a dominion. into sadism and then lunacy—specifically, lycanthropy, which
Yet she feels it is her right to woo a lower-status husband for has him believing he is a wolf.
love, and she does so with both passion and grace. In the
second half of the play, her traits of courage and endurance
are most on display. Her brother Ferdinand's obsessive Cardinal
campaign to drive her to madness and despair does not
succeed, despite Ferdinand's extreme cruelty. After enduring The Cardinal is portrayed as evil, cruel, and calculating—more
imprisonment and psychological torture, the Duchess faces restrained outwardly than his younger brother. The Cardinal,
her death with philosophical resignation. Because of her too, opposes any remarriage by his sister, the Duchess of
admirable behavior, even the cynical Bosola comes to pity her Malfi, probably for motives of jealousy and greed. In Act 1,
and to repent his crimes. when the Cardinal refuses to compensate Bosola for his
services, the inference is the prelate, a high-ranking "prince of

the Church," is exploitative and deceitful. He acts menacingly

toward the Duchess as well. His cynical treatment of women is
apparent in his dialogue with Julia in Act 2, Scene 4. Snobbery,
too, is part of his character, as shown by his comment on "the
royal blood of Aragon and Castile" in Act 2, Scene 5. In Act 5,
Scene 2, he profanes a Bible by applying poison to it so he can
murder Julia, his mistress. Finally, he suffers a momentary
twinge of conscience before Bosola and Ferdinand fatally stab
him.
Antonio Bologna
Antonio Bologna's first extended speech in the play is an
eloquent commendation of the Duchess of Malfi. The ground is
thus prepared for the Duchess's wooing of him later in the act
and for their "chamber" wedding contract. Antonio is
uncorrupted and shows himself loyal to the Duchess, whom he
loves and admires. As the play unfolds, Antonio grows steadily
in courage and resourcefulness until he is ready to confront
the Cardinal. One of the most poignant moments in the drama
is his farewell with the Duchess when Antonio, banished from
Ancona, flees to Milan. He and the Duchess will never see each
other again despite their love.

Character Map
Cardinal
Corrupt, calculating,
deceitful Italian nobleman
and church official
Brothers
Siblings
Secret
Antonio Bologna Ferdinand
spouses Duchess of Malfi
Trusted, honest employee, Cruel, tyrannical, unstable
Sensual, gracious, courageous
then husband, father; Twin nobleman; harbors
Italian noblewoman
accidentally killed siblings incestuous desires
Spy,
assassin
Hired spy,
Accidental assassin
assassin
Daniel de Bosola
Former hired assassin
Hired spy and assassin;
eventually repents and
avenges the Duchess
Main Character
Other Major Character
Minor Character

Full Character List The Churchmen sing a sycophantic, or

servile, ditty to accompany the
pantomime at the shrine of Loreto.
Churchmen
The song glorifies the Cardinal in his
Character Description
transformation from prelate to military
commander.
A young widow, the Duchess of Malfi
is articulate, gracious, brave, dignified,
Delio is one of the most important
and endowed with a sense of humor.
Duchess of courtiers at Malfi. A good-hearted
When her brothers learn she has Delio
Malfi gentleman, he remains loyal to
disobeyed their command not to
Antonio and the Duchess.
remarry, she is forced to endure
severe punishments.
The Doctor relates and comments on
Ferdinand's case of lycanthropy. In
A criminal who has served a prison
Doctor Act 5, Scene 2 the Doctor describes
sentence as a galley slave, Daniel de
Ferdinand's behavior as that of a
Bosola is melancholy, cynical, and
Daniel de werewolf.
reputed to be malcontent. Ferdinand
Bosola
recruits him to spy on the Duchess of
Malfi, to keep track of her marital A mysterious, disembodied voice,
status. Echo creates an eerie effect,
Echo repeating phrases in the dialogue
between Antonio and Delio in Act 5,
The Duchess of Malfi's twin brother,
Scene 3.
cruel and tyrannical Ferdinand invests
Ferdinand much of his energy trying to drive his
sister mad. Finally, he himself is The Executioners accompany Bosola
overtaken by insanity. in Act 4, Scene 2. They strangle the
Executioners
Duchess, her two younger children,
and Cariola.
The cynical and calculating older
brother of the Duchess and
Ferdinand, the Cardinal keeps a Grisolan is one of the minor courtiers
Cardinal Grisolan
mistress, Castruccio's wife Julia. In at Malfi.
the past, he engaged Daniel de Bosola
to commit murder.
Castruccio's lustful and deceitful wife,
Julia is the Cardinal's mistress. The
Loyal and upstanding, Antonio Julia
Cardinal murders her by having her
Bologna is the Duchess's palace kiss a poisoned Bible.
steward, with whom she falls in love.
Antonio
After he and the Duchess marry in a
Bologna A chorus of madmen, led by a soloist,
chamber ceremony, Antonio suffers
the hostility of Bosola, Ferdinand, and sing a song that introduces the
the Cardinal. dialogue of individual lunatics in Act 4,
Madmen
Scene 1. Ferdinand presses the group
into service to drive his sister into
Cariola is the Duchess's maid, who insanity.
remains loyal to her mistress and
Cariola faithfully guards the secret of the
Duchess's marriage. She is strangled The Mad Astrologer initiates the
under Bosola's supervision. Mad Astrologer dialogue of individual lunatics in Act 4,
Scene 1.
Castruccio is one of the important

courtiers at Malfi. As the cuckolded The Mad Broker is one of the eight
husband of Julia, Castruccio is a Mad Broker madmen appearing in Act 4, Scene 2.
Castruccio target of Bosola's mockery, and his This character has no dialogue.
pretensions to refinement, or acting
as though he is of a higher station, as
a courtier are made to look ridiculous.

The Duchess of Malfi Study Guide Plot Summary 8
The Mad Doctor appears in Act 4, Pescara, a marquis, or nobleman, is

Pescara
Scene 2. His ravings include remarks one of the minor courtiers at Malfi.
Mad Doctor
about apothecaries, cuckoldry, and
the devil's nails.
At the shrine of Loreto, the First
First Pilgrim Pilgrim comments on the events
The Mad Farmer appears in Act 4, depicted in the pantomime.
Mad Farmer
Scene 2 but has no lines of dialogue.
The Second Pilgrim also contributes

The Mad Gentleman Usher appears in Second Pilgrim description and commentary on the
Mad Gentleman
Act 4, Scene 2 but has no lines of pantomime.
Usher
dialogue.
Roderigo is one of the minor courtiers

Roderigo
The Mad Lawyer appears in Act 4, at Malfi.
Mad Lawyer Scene 2. His lines suggest he thinks
of the law as corrosive.
A servant appears in Act 2, Scene 4
and in Act 5. Scene 4. In the former,
The Mad Priest, appearing in Act 4, the servant announces to Julia
Mad Priest Scene 2, has lines suggesting both Servants Castruccio's arrival in Rome. In the
lust and pedantry. latter the servant is ordered by Bosola
to remove Antonio's body from the
scene.
The Mad Tailor appears in Act 4,
Mad Tailor Scene 2 but does not participate in
the dialogue. Silvio is one of the minor courtiers at
Silvio
Malfi.
Malateste is a count whom Ferdinand

chooses to become the Duchess's
new husband. The Duchess does not
k Plot Summary
Malateste
take the suggestion seriously, and
other courtiers apparently regard
Malateste as a coward in warfare.
Appearing at the court of Malfi in Act

2, Scene 2, the First Officer describes
Act 1
First Officer
the disturbance in the Duchess's
bedchamber. Antonio Bologna, who has recently returned to Malfi from
France, describes to his friend Delio the workings of the
The Second Officer interacts with the French court. The melancholy malcontent Daniel de Bosola
Second Officer First Officer during the disturbance in enters and is spurned by his former employer, the Cardinal.
the Duchess's bedchamber.
After Ferdinand, the Cardinal's brother, banters with the
courtiers, Antonio delivers a speech of enthusiastic admiration
The Third Officer appears in Act 3,
in praise of the Duchess of Malfi, a young and attractive widow.
Scene 2 in connection with the
Third Officer The Duchess's two brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, both
trumped-up accusation of Antonio as
an embezzler. deliver a stern admonition to the Duchess of Malfi not to marry
again, and Ferdinand engages Daniel de Bosola as his spy to
The Fourth Officer also appears in monitor the Duchess's marital status. The Duchess, however,
Fourth Officer
Act 3, Scene 2. soon reveals she is in love with Antonio, her steward. In
defiance of her brothers' orders, the couple celebrates a
The Old Lady serves as a midwife for chamber wedding, with the maid Cariola as their witness.
Old Lady
the Duchess.

has sworn never to see her again. He presents her with a dead
Act 2 man's hand, implying it is the limb of Antonio Bologna. Then
Daniel de Bosola brings up the lights and draws back a curtain,
Nine months later, Daniel de Bosola arrives at the court with revealing a collection of wax figures that simulate Antonio and
some apricots to test whether or not the Duchess of Malfi is the children in death. Ferdinand continues with his sadistic
pregnant. The Duchess experiences a sharp reaction to the campaign to drive the Duchess to madness and despair. From
fruit and withdraws. Antonio orders all the courtiers to remain the local hospital he assembles a group of madmen, who
in their own quarters, owing to a disturbance and theft at the jabber at the Duchess but fail to drive her mad. Bosola now
palace. Cariola tells him the Duchess has given birth to a son. enters, disguised as an old tomb-maker. Accompanied by
In semi-darkness, Bosola and Antonio Bolognia exchange executioners, he orders the deaths of the Duchess, Cariola,
aggressive insults. Departing, Antonio accidentally drops a and the Duchess's children by strangling. Ferdinand enters to
piece of paper on which he has cast his newborn son's survey the slaughter. His bizarre reactions hint he is sliding into
horoscope. Retrieving it, Bosola vows to inform the Duchess's insanity. Meanwhile, Bosola experiences a wave of pity and
brothers that Antonio is the child's father. Meanwhile, in Rome, remorse.
the Cardinal entertains his mistress Julia, who is the courtier
Castruccio's wife. The Cardinal and Ferdinand receive Bosola's
letter revealing the birth of a son to the Duchess, and
Ferdinand explodes with rage.
Act 5
The Cardinal uses his influence to strip Antonio Bologna of
some of his land, and Antonio makes plans to confront the
Act 3 corrupt prelate, or church official. Meanwhile, Ferdinand has
begun to suffer from lycanthropy, a disease that has him
Two years have passed. Ferdinand proposes the Duchess of believing he is a wolf. The Cardinal pretends to Daniel de
Malfi marry Count Malateste, but the Duchess dismisses this Bosola not to know about the Duchess of Malfi's death. He
suggestion. Ferdinand then secures from Daniel de Bosola a commissions Bosola to track down Antonio in Milan and
skeleton key for the door of the Duchess's bedchamber. In the murder him. Julia and Bosola flirt with each other, but Julia, of
following scene he covertly enters the chamber and threatens whom the Cardinal has wearied, is soon disposed of when the
the Duchess. Agitated, the Duchess bids Antonio Bologna to Cardinal orders her to kiss a poisoned Bible. Near the
flee to Ancona. To explain his sudden departure she fabricates Duchess's grave, Antonio and Delio hear the ominous
a story that he has cheated on his accounts. Taking Bosola forebodings of an echo from a ghostly voice. In a fast-moving
into her confidence, she confesses she has had three children scene, full of confusion, Bosola accidentally stabs Antonio,
with Antonio. He suggests she pretend she is going on a whom he mistakes for the Cardinal. In the play's final scene
pilgrimage to the shrine at Loreto, located near Ancona. When Bosola delivers death blows to the Cardinal and Ferdinand and
she and the children arrive at Loreto, a dumb show, or is himself wounded mortally. In his dying speech he exclaims
pantomime, dramatizes the installation of the Cardinal as a that mankind exists in a "deep pit of darkness."
military commander, as well as the banishment of Antonio, the
Duchess, and their children by the state of Ancona—all
arranged by the Cardinal. The Duchess and Antonio bid each
other a sad farewell, with Antonio headed now to Milan. Bosola
arrests the Duchess, who is now to be held in prison at her
brothers' orders.
Act 4
Angered by the Duchess of Malfi's fortitude in prison,
Ferdinand arranges to meet with her in total darkness, for he

Plot Diagram
Climax
7
10 Falling Action
Rising Action
6
11
5
4 12
3 Resolution
2
1
Introduction
Introduction Climax
1. Her brothers forbid the widowed Duchess to remarry. 9. The Duchess, her youngest children, and maid are
strangled.
Rising Action
Falling Action
2. Ferdinand hires Bosola to spy on the Duchess.
10. Ferdinand becomes insane, suffering from lycanthropy.
3. The Duchess marries Antonio in secret.
11. After mistakenly killing Antonio, Bosola repents his acts.
4. Bosola tells the brothers of the marriage and pregnancy.
5. Ferdinand vows to destroy the Duchess and her lover.
6. The Duchess, Antonio, and their children flee to Ancona.

Resolution
7. The Cardinal arranges for their banishment from Ancona. 12. The Cardinal, Ferdinand, and Bosola die of stab wounds.
8. Ferdinand psychologically tortures the imprisoned Duchess.

Timeline of Events
Around 1508
Antonio, the Duchess's steward, returns to Malfi from

France.
Some days later
Ferdinand hires Bosola to spy on the Duchess.
Shortly after
The Duchess defies her brothers by wooing and

marrying Antonio in a chamber ceremony.
Nine months later
Bosola tricks the Duchess and confirms her pregnancy

to Ferdinand.
That evening
Amid a disturbance in the palace, the Duchess gives

birth to a son.
Some days later
Learning of her marriage and child, Ferdinand vows to

torture and murder his sister and Antonio.
Two years later
The Duchess refuses to consider Ferdinand's suggestion

she marry Malateste.
That night
Ferdinand sneaks into the Duchess's chamber and

threatens her.
Later that night
Frightened, the Duchess counsels Antonio to flee to

Ancona with her jewels.
Moments later
Bosola enters and, after learning information, advises her

and her children to flee to Loreto.
Soon after
The Cardinal arranges for the Duchess and her family to

be banished from Ancona.
Soon after
Antonio escapes to Milan with their eldest child just

before Ferdinand has the Duchess arrested.
Days later
Ferdinand torments the Duchess with a dead man's hand

and deathlike wax figures of her family.
The next day
After he torments her more, Ferdinand orders the deaths

of his sister, her children, and Cariola.
Four days later
The Cardinal murders his mistress Julia, of whom he has

tired, by having her kiss a poisoned Bible.
Soon after
Bosola kills Antonio accidentally, believing he is striking

the Cardinal.
Soon after
The Cardinal, Ferdinand, and Bosola are all stabbed and

die.

The Duchess of Malfi Study Guide Scene Summaries 13
After the Cardinal departs, Bosola shares with Antonio and

c Scene Summaries Delio a grim portrait of the cleric's character, together with that
of the Cardinal's brother Ferdinand. Bosola then leaves, and
The Duchess of Malfi has 18 scenes in 5 Acts. For the purpose Delio and Antonio comment on his melancholy and discontent.
of this study guide, scenes have been primarily grouped
Ferdinand, the brother of the Cardinal and the Duchess of
together in pairs.
Malfi, enters and engages in some court banter with Silvio,
Castruccio, and Roderigo. The Cardinal and the Duchess soon
Dedication–Act 1, Scene 1 join them. Delio and Antonio exchange somber remarks about
the character traits of Ferdinand and the Cardinal. Antonio,
however, contrasts the Duchess's character with that of her
brothers, calling her "right noble" and praising her outstanding
Summary virtue.
Ferdinand requests his sister, the Duchess, to employ Bosola

Dedication as her master of the horse, or chief groom, and the Duchess
assents. The Cardinal, who dislikes Bosola, tells Ferdinand he
Webster dedicates The Duchess of Malfi to George Harding, would rather not be involved in this arrangement. Ferdinand
Baron Berkeley (1601–58), a nobleman who served in the office explains to Bosola he expects Bosola to act as a spy in the
of Lord Chamberlain. He thus had a significant connection with Duchess's household, with particular attention to Ferdinand's
the theater as patron of the acting company known as the wish that the Duchess, a widow, not marry again. Bosola,
King's Men. Other significant writers of the period who despite some cynical grumbling, agrees to be Ferdinand's
dedicated works to Baron Berkeley include Robert Burton (The "creature." Before the brothers depart, the Cardinal
Anatomy of Melancholy) and Philip Massinger (The Renegado). emphasizes once more to the Duchess that she should not
remarry. The Cardinal warns darkly, "the marriage night / Is the
In offering his "poem" to Harding, John Webster employs
entrance into some prison," while Ferdinand ominously displays
typically flowery language embellished with several figures of
a poniard (dagger) to the Duchess.
speech. He compliments Harding for his learning and nobility,
predicting the noble lord's favor will enable Harding to outlast After the brothers depart, the Duchess exchanges some
death and the grave. Harding's courtesy will cause laurel to comment with her maid Cariola. The Duchess sadly predicts
spring from his grave. By contrast, those who ignore or scorn she is about to enter a pathless wilderness. When Antonio
the Muse are like the worms in libraries that exist only to reenters, the Duchess makes her love for him plain, openly
destroy learning. professing her wish to marry him. She presents Antonio with
her wedding ring. Despite the difference in their social status,
they contract with each other as husband and wife, with
Act 1, Scene 1 Cariola as a witness.
Act 1, which consists of a single scene, opens at the court in

Malfi. The courtier Delio welcomes home Antonio Bologna, a
Analysis
steward who has recently been visiting France. Antonio
confides he admires the French court for its foresight and its "Webster was much possessed by death," wrote T.S. Eliot
effective handling of corruption. The arrival of Daniel de Bosola (1888-1965) in his poem "Whispers of Immortality" (1918, 1919).
and the Cardinal interrupts their conversation. Bosola is bitterly The playwright, Eliot continued, "saw the skull beneath the
complaining about the Cardinal's lack of recompense for skin." Even in his flowery dedication to George Harding, Baron
Bosola's services, which earned him a sentence as a galley Berkeley, Webster mentions the grave—thus foreshadowing a
slave. When the Cardinal sardonically, or mockingly, major set of themes in the play that revolve around death and
recommends Bosola adopt an honest life, Bosola retorts that bodily corruption.
the Cardinal himself should set an example of honesty.

As the first scene opens with the conversation between Delio wedding contract between them shown later in this act.
and Antonio, Webster touches on another of the play's major
themes: moral and political corruption. Antonio compares the The sudden shifts of tone are one of the play's most prominent
operations of a court to the flow of water in a fountain, which characteristics. The exchange between Ferdinand and Bosola,
easily may be poisoned to produce widespread, disastrous following directly on the heels of Antonio's speech of praise,
consequences. The implication of Antonio's account of the furnishes a good example of such a shift. Despite the
French court is that corruption is foreseen and restrained more Cardinal's reluctance to do further business with Bosola,
effectively in France than at home in Italy. Antonio's opinion will Ferdinand engages the former galley-slave as a spy,
soon be supported by the portrayals of two of the most specifically to keep tabs on the Duchess's marital status. Both
powerful royal figures in Malfi: the Duchess's brothers. brothers are determined that their recently widowed sister not
marry again. The brothers' motives are commonly inferred to
But first the courtiers' conversation is interrupted by the be greed and—on Ferdinand's part—repressed incestuous
entrance of Daniel de Bosola. Antonio describes him as a desire.
"court-gall," or cynical, complaining malcontent. Paradoxically,
however, he is something of a striver, said to "[rail] at those Just as he bluntly reproached the Cardinal for ingratitude
things which he wants." Bosola, indeed, is a figure of earlier in this act, Bosola aggressively confronts Ferdinand,
contradictions, with a claim to being the most multisided and calling him a corrupter and acknowledging himself as an
fascinating character in the drama. In a verbally and accomplice or accessory: "Say then my corruption / Grew out
situationally ironic dialogue, he is cast aside by the Cardinal, of horse-dung. I am your creature." The threat to the Duchess's
who apparently regards Bosola as a liability, even after having independence—perhaps even to her life—is compounded when
employed him on illicit and violent missions. (A little later in the the Cardinal enters to re-emphasize the brothers' prohibition of
scene, Delio mentions Bosola was condemned to slavery in the a second marriage.
galleys—an especially harsh prison sentence—for a murder he

The Duchess, with apparently casual humor, bids her brothers
committed on the Cardinal's orders.)
farewell with the remark that the warning "speech between you
Bosola's extended simile comparing the Cardinal and both was studied, / It came so roundly off." Webster here
Ferdinand to plum trees growing "crooked over standing pools" lightly touches on the theme of metatheater—or self-conscious
is notable for its cluster of repugnant images. Only crows, pies reference to the fact that the audience is witnessing a play,
(magpies), and caterpillars feed on the fruit. Bosola envisions rather than viewing reality. This theme will recur with
himself as a horse-leech and then alludes to the Greek increasing insistence as the drama unfolds.
mythological figure Tantalus, whose everlasting punishment for

Just before the wooing scene begins, the Duchess gives voice
stealing the food of the gods was to be "tantalized" with food
twice to her courage and heroic determination—qualities that
and water constantly receding just out of reach. Bosola
place her, as a woman, in a virtually unparalleled position in
concludes his brief rant by drawing an analogy between social
Renaissance drama. Directly after Ferdinand's departure
places in the court and beds in a hospital, in which the sick lie
("Farewell, lusty widow"), the Duchess exclaims:
end to end.
At Ferdinand's first entrance in the play, which follows shortly, Shall this move me? ... / Even in
the Duchess's twin brother refers significantly to a ring—here,
literally meant as the trophy in a jousting tournament, but this hate, as men in some great
throughout the play a potent symbol of both marriage and
battles, / By apprehending danger,
death. Ferdinand's banter establishes him as an unrealistic,
quasi-tyrannical ruler, eager to bend his courtiers to his will and have achieved / Almost impossible
unpredictable moods. As Delio and Antonio continue to
actions ... / So I, through frights,
comment on the chief personalities of Malfi, it becomes evident
the Duchess strongly contrasts with her two corrupt brothers. and threatenings, will assay / This
Antonio, in particular, waxes eloquent in his praise of the
Duchess—perhaps foreshadowing the wooing and then the
dangerous venture.

Then, after Cariola swears to conceal the Duchess's secret of cosmetics. His insulting treatment of the woman leads him
marriage, her mistress bids her, to philosophize morosely on the theme of physical corruption
of the body and the inevitability of death.
"Wish me good speed / For I am After Castruccio and the Old Lady exit, Bosola avows he has
"other work on foot." Still spying for Ferdinand, Bosola has
going into a wilderness, / Where I
noticed signs of pregnancy in the Duchess: morning sickness
shall find nor path, nor friendly and swelling. To test his theory that she is indeed pregnant, he
has brought some apricots with him, which he will offer her.
clew / To be my guide."
(Apricots were thought to induce a craving in pregnant
women.)
Both passages show the Duchess is keenly aware of the
dangerous risk she is taking. But her tenacity to achieve, if she When Antonio and Delio enter, Bosola replies to their
can, "impossible actions," is scarcely in doubt. Like the classic questions and comments with his customary cynicism and
tragic hero or heroic soldier in battle, the Duchess is ready to mocking. The Duchess then appears, complaining she is
risk her life for her convictions. Her way may be frightening, growing fat and short of breath. Bosola, affecting the most
lonely, and unprecedented, but she will proceed. elaborate courtesy, offers her the apricots, which the Duchess
readily accepts. But the fruit causes an adverse reaction, and
Once again, the final part of Act 1 displays a marked shift in she goes into labor. Alarmed, Delio advises Antonio to spread
tone from the stressful exchanges between the Duchess and the rumor that Bosola has poisoned the Duchess.
her two menacing brothers, the Cardinal and Ferdinand. In her
wooing of Antonio, the Duchess is both lighthearted and lyrical.
Of special note is the Duchess's speech addressing the Act 2, Scene 2
couple's difference in rank, in which she explains, "The misery
of us that are born great: / We are forced to woo, because Daniel de Bosola concludes correctly: the Duchess of Malfi is
none dare woo us." She bestows her wedding ring on Antonio, pregnant. After another dialogue between Bosola and the Old
and the two exchange "a contract in a chamber" which would Lady, in which she accuses him of being abusive, Antonio
have been considered a binding marriage vow in Webster's Bologna bursts in, accompanied by Delio and other courtiers.
time. Exulting, the couple ends the act in mutual celebration,
A state of emergency has broken out, with an armed stranger
but Cariola, left alone on stage, sounds a note of foreboding,
(from Switzerland) breaking into the Duchess's bedroom and
wondering if "the spirit of greatness" or "of woman" is
various thefts of valuables from the palace. Antonio issues
predominant in the Duchess.
orders for security. Fearful of his safety, Antonio dispatches
Delio to Rome, telling him his [Antonio's] "life lies in your
Act 2, Scenes 1–2 service." Bidding him farewell, Delio affirms his friendship for
and loyalty to Antonio, saying, "Old friends, like old swords, still
are trusted best." Cariola enters to announce to Antonio he is
now the father of a son.
Summary
Analysis
Act 2, Scene 1
The curious scene that opens this act focuses on Bosola's
The scene is set in Malfi at the Duchess of Malfi's palace. Nine temperament and preoccupations. From the very beginning,
months have passed. Daniel de Bosola enters with the elderly when Castruccio avows his overriding ambition in life is to be
courtier Castruccio. After some satirical talk of courtiers and "taken for an eminent courtier," the scene is set for Bosola's
court life, the two are interrupted by the entrance of an Old satire and mockery. Castruccio asks the cynical malcontent
Lady. Bosola castigates her for her unattractive appearance, how he can determine whether the people consider him an
which she has attempted to conceal through an excessive use

"eminent fellow." Bosola answers darkly that, if the multitude

curses him when they believe him to be dying, he will know he
Summary
has achieved his ambition.
Bosola's sardonic view of court life is then followed by a Act 2, Scene 3

misogynistic rant in which he berates an old lady for her
excessive use of cosmetics. Bosola's imagery in this passage In semi-darkness, Daniel de Bosola voices his suspicion that
is deliberately repugnant, combining references to disease, Antonio's order for the courtiers to be confined to their
rottenness, corruption, deformity, and death. Interestingly, separate quarters in the previous scene was a ruse or
Webster employs both prose and verse for Bosola's speeches stratagem. Bosola vows to get to the bottom of Antonio
in Scene 1. The Old Lady, it turns out, serves the Duchess as Bologna's plan. Otherwise, he confesses, his career as a spy
her midwife. may be over.
Bosola's cynicism is also on display in his brief dialogue with When Antonio enters, his conversation with Bosola amounts to
Antonio, whom he sarcastically calls "chief man with the a sparring match. Punctuated by asides—this time
Duchess." In the ensuing apricots scene, Bosola effectively Antonio's—the two characters reveal their mutual suspicion of
uses the theatrical device of the aside—spoken lines not meant each other. Antonio openly declares he thinks it possible
to be heard by anyone on stage but intended to make a Bosola poisoned the apricots, a suggestion Bosola abruptly
notable impression on the audience. dismisses. The two men trade insults. Antonio then bars
Bosola's way, telling him he may not approach the Duchess's
After the Duchess, anxious about the physical effects of the quarters.
apricots, makes her exit toward the end of Scene 1, Delio
compounds the theme of deception by advising Antonio to After Antonio's exit, Bosola catches sight of a paper Antonio
spread the rumor that Bosola has used the fruit to poison the has dropped accidentally. It is the horoscope Antonio cast for
Duchess. Bosola earlier informed the Duchess the apricots had his newborn child. Gleefully, Bosola plots how he will use his
been ripened "in horse-dung"—an echo, in turn, of his remark in new proof that Antonio is "the Duchess' bawd." He will send a
Act 1 to Ferdinand that his [Bosola's] "corruption grew out of letter to the Duchess of Malfi's brothers via Castruccio, who
horse-dung." leaves the next day for Rome.
In Scene 2, the pace of the action accelerates almost to the

point of frenzy. Bosola's renewed byplay, or interaction Act 2, Scene 4
happening on the side, with the Old Lady creates suspense,
while Antonio's emergency call for security measures at the The scene is set in Rome. The Cardinal banters with Julia,
palace further increases the tension. Meanwhile, Bosola—again Castruccio's wife, who has become the Cardinal's mistress. He
in an aside—worries the apricots might, in fact, have been stresses heavily that Julia is in his debt. He also comments
poisoned without his knowledge. At the end of the scene, sarcastically about women's lack of constancy and fidelity,
Antonio's anxiety is evident when he dispatches Delio to Rome even as he congratulates Julia on her "witty false" stratagem to
on a life-or-death mission. But Antonio's somber thoughts yield deceive her husband and travel to Rome. The pair's
to joy when Cariola announces he is the father of a baby son conversation is interrupted by a servant, who reports the
("blessed comfort"). In an instance of situational irony, just after arrival of a courier from Malfi, as well as the arrival of
Delio has disparaged human superstition, Antonio hastens at Castruccio. The Cardinal then exits. Delio, who courted Julia in
the scene's end to cast his new son's horoscope. the past, enters, commenting on Castruccio and offering Julia
some money. After Julia exits, Delio says he fears Antonio has
been betrayed to the Duchess's brothers.
Act 2, Scenes 3–5

volcanic and vengeful. Ferdinand's character is also

Act 2, Scene 5
complicated by the shadow of incestuous desire, as suggested
Accompanied by Ferdinand, the Cardinal enters his residence by his vivid supposition about his sister being bedded by "some
in Rome. They have read Bosola's letter revealing the birth of strong thighed bargeman." As commentators have noted,
Antonio and the Duchess's child. Whereas the Cardinal incest was not an uncommon motif in Jacobean drama: one of
maintains an icy composure, Ferdinand yields to passionate the most prominent occurrences of this theme was in John
rage, vowing violent and cruel revenge on their sister. The Ford's play 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (c. 1629–33).
Cardinal declares his dismay that the bloodlines of their noble
In all of Act 2, the Duchess appears only briefly in Scene 1,
family have been disgraced. Ferdinand repeatedly envisions
when Bosola tempts her with the apricots. The accumulation of
the Duchess's sexual laxity and vividly describes the ways in
misogynistic tirades in this act—from Bosola, the Cardinal, and
which he would punish her and her lover. The Cardinal urges
Ferdinand—cannot help but show the audience the immense
Ferdinand to steer clear of "intemperate anger," but Ferdinand
obstacles the Duchess must confront in historical and cultural
ignores his advice.
contexts.
Analysis
Act 3, Scenes 1–2
In the final scenes of Act 2, the atmosphere, or mood, of the
play turns almost uniformly dark. In Scene 3, for example,
Bosola enters with a "dark lantern"—a light that can be Summary
concealed by a shutter—and comments first on a woman's
shriek, presumably a cry from the Duchess in the throes of
childbirth. After Antonio enters, the two men's conversation Act 3, Scene 1
plainly suggests nighttime, a somewhat spooky setting, as they
refer to the cry of owls and the rising of the wind. The tone of The setting returns to Malfi. Antonio Bologna welcomes Delio
the characters' talk is also menacing, with Antonio's insinuation home after his long absence. Two years have passed, and the
that Bosola may have poisoned the Duchess and Bosola's Duchess of Malfi has borne two more children. Both the
retort that Antonio is a "false steward." Cardinal and Ferdinand are aware of these offspring, and
Ferdinand's behavior seems ominous. Antonio tells Delio the
Unfortunately for Antonio, his agitation causes him to drop the common people think the Duchess behaves like a "strumpet,"
paper on which he has just now noted a horoscope for his or whore.
newborn son. The keen-eyed Bosola picks up the document
and reads it aloud. There is a possible echo of Shakespeare's Ferdinand and the Duchess enter. Ferdinand tells the Duchess
Othello here, in which a key oversight—Othello's accidental he has found a husband for her, a nobleman named Count
dropping of Desdemona's handkerchief and Iago's swift Malateste, but the Duchess calls Malateste transparent, "a
confiscation of it from the maid Emilia—is a major turning point mere stick of sugar-candy." Ferdinand vigorously asserts he
in the plot (Othello, Act 3, Scene 3). Iago then uses the will uphold the Duchess's honor and good name, although
handkerchief to incriminate his rival Cassio and to intensify immediately after she departs, he mutters that her "guilt" is
Othello's jealousy. plain.
The evident relish with which the Cardinal disparages women When Daniel de Bosola enters, he informs Ferdinand his spying
in Scene 4 attests to his hypocrisy—after all, he is addressing mission on the Duchess has stalled. He confirms she has three
Julia, his own mistress—and also to his egotism: he insists children, but doesn't know by whom, and suggests she has
repeatedly that Julia, who is taking all the risks in this been bewitched. Dismissing this suggestion, Ferdinand asserts
relationship, is in his debt. Scenes 4 and 5, in fact, function well the Duchess's behavior is caused by "rank blood," or
in tandem to differentiate the personalities of the Cardinal and corruption. Ferdinand now takes charge of the investigation.
his brother Ferdinand. Both are misogynistic, but the Cardinal He will use a skeleton sky, which he got from Bosola, to enter
is wry, arrogant, and exploitative, whereas Ferdinand is the Duchess's bedchamber and force a confession from her

that evening. agrees, entrusting all her money and jewelry to Bosola. Alone
on stage at the end of the scene, Bosola muses on his own
debasement as a spy.
Act 3, Scene 2
In the Duchess of Malfi's chamber, the Duchess and Antonio Analysis
Bologna playfully discuss whether he will spend the night with
her. After the lovers exchange kisses, Cariola asks Antonio At the beginning of Scene 1, the dialogue between Delio and
about her love life, and Antonio answers her with an elegant Antonio reveals the passage of two years' time between Acts 2
allusion to ancient Greek mythology and human traits. After and 3. This interval, together with the nine months that elapse
some more jesting, Antonio draws Cariola aside, and they leave between Acts 1 and 2, show Webster was not particularly
the Duchess to herself. attentive to what neoclassical literary critics of the 17th and
18th centuries called the classical unities of time, place, and
While the Duchess muses on signs of age in her appearance
action. Ostensibly derived from Aristotle, the unities were
and on the threat to Antonio from her brothers, Ferdinand
honored more in the breach than in the observance in
enters, brandishing a dagger. In fearsome language, he
Renaissance drama. Certainly the idea that a play's action
denounces the Duchess, calling her a "vile woman." Ferdinand
should span no more than 24 hours was not the norm for much
harangues her with a rant on reputation, and then bids farewell,
Shakespearean drama.
saying he will never see her again. He leaves the dagger with
her, presumably so she can use it to commit suicide. In the second half of Scene 1, Webster mingles superstition,
dramatic irony, and revenge in the conversation between
Antonio, carrying a pistol, and Cariola reenter, having
Ferdinand and Bosola. Ferdinand titillates both Bosola and the
witnessed the heated exchange between the Duchess and
audience when he asks whether Bosola has any idea what he
Ferdinand. But knocking suddenly interrupts the dialogue.
will do with the skeleton key to the Duchess's bedchamber.
When Cariola reports the visitor is Daniel de Bosola, the
Ferdinand's colossal ego is matched only by his overwhelming
Duchess orders Antonio to flee, and he exits.
hypocrisy: he attributes the Duchess's "witchcraft" to her "rank
Bosola tells the Duchess that Ferdinand has ridden in haste to blood," quite forgetting he is her very own twin.
Rome. The Duchess fabricates a story to explain her distress:
Scene 2 is intensely dramatic, displaying a broad range of
Antonio, she says, has cheated in his accounts, and certain
moods. The scene begins with cheerful banter between
sums of money are missing or in default. The Duchess asks
Antonio, the Duchess, and Cariola. Here the dialogue contains
Bosola to summon the palace officers.
a number of allusions to classical Greek and Roman mythology,
When Bosola leaves, Antonio re-appears. The Duchess bids as when Antonio refers to the two doves that drew the chariot
him urgently to flee to Ancona, where he should await her of Venus, Roman goddess of love, and to the transformations
arrival, together with her precious possessions. When Bosola of Daphne, Syrinx, and Anaxarete—maidens punished for
returns, the Duchess and Antonio play-act a scene in which spurning their lovers and turned into a laurel tree, a reed, and a
she reproaches him for embezzlement, confiscates his slab of marble respectively. Their stories are told in the
property, and banishes him from Malfi. Metamorphoses of the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE–17 CE).
Antonio also alludes to the "Judgment of Paris," in which a
After some brief dialogue with the officers, the Duchess asks young prince of Troy was required to rate the beauty of three
Bosola for his opinion of Antonio. When Bosola praises him as goddesses: Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite.
virtuous, the Duchess impulsively declares Antonio is her
husband and father of her three children. She further avows The atmosphere grows much darker, however, with the furtive
Antonio is leaving for Ancona, where she means to follow him. entrance of Ferdinand, who has evidently used the skeleton
Bosola, who now possesses all the information he has been key. As in Act 1, he displays and then gives the Duchess a
striving to obtain, suggests the Duchess pretend publicly to be dagger, with the evident intention that she use it to kill herself.
leaving Malfi to make a pilgrimage to Loreto, located very near Calling her a "vile woman," Ferdinand rages against her moral
Ancona. Despite an objection from Cariola, the Duchess laxity. In a bizarre instance of foreshadowing, he declares "the

howling of a wolf is music to thee, screech-owl." In Act 5

Act 3, Scene 4
readers will learn that Ferdinand himself, in his madness,
displays symptoms of lycanthropy, having become—at least in The scene takes place at the shrine of Our Lady of Loreto.
his own mind—a werewolf. Two pilgrims watch as a dumb show—or pantomime—portrays
the Cardinal's resignation as a prelate and installation as a
In the second part of Scene 2, the theme of deception
military commander, complete with sword, helmet, shield, and
undergoes complex elaboration. To mislead Bosola, the
spurs. The pantomime also portrays, through mime and
Duchess improvises a fabricated accusation against Antonio
gesture, the banishment of Antonio Bologna and the Duchess
for embezzlement. Yet, as one of his asides makes clear,
of Malfi from Ancona. Disclosing that the Pope, at the
Bosola is not deceived and comments on the Duchess's claim
Cardinal's instigation, has stripped the Duchess of her
as "cunning." Both the Duchess and Antonio then play-act a
dominion at Malfi, the pilgrims sadly reflect on the couple's ill
conflict to explain Antonio's sudden departure for Ancona as
fortune.
banishment for malfeasance. Finally, Bosola's apparently
sympathetic but insincere tribute to Antonio elicits a true
avowal from the Duchess to the effect that Antonio is really her
Act 3, Scene 5
husband and the father of her three younger children (having
one son from her deceased husband). To add further to the In a melancholy conversation, the Duchess of Malfi and
deception, Bosola recommends the Duchess announce Antonio Bologna discuss their situation, having been banished
publicly she is bound for a pilgrimage to Loreto, a shrine near from Ancona. Bosola arrives bearing a letter from Ferdinand.
Ancona. At the end of the scene, Bosola has completely gained The wording of the letter clearly suggests Ferdinand wants
his goal. Yet he cynically remarks with evident self-loathing, "a Antonio dead. The Duchess advises Antonio to escape to
politician is the devil's quilted anvil." Despite his disgust, Milan, along with their eldest child. The couple bid each other
however, he will reveal everything to the Duchess's brothers, an anguished farewell.
his employers.
After Antonio's departure, Daniel de Bosola reenters,
accompanied by an armed guard. On the orders of her
Act 3, Scenes 3–5 brothers, Bosola places the Duchess under arrest and tells her
she must see her husband no more. The Duchess resigns
herself to oppression.
Summary
Analysis
Act 3, Scene 3 Act 3, Scene 3, far briefer than the preceding scene, serves
mainly as a transition, marking the Cardinal's shift from his
The Cardinal and Ferdinand have a discussion with Count
status as a high-ranking prelate to a military commander. Once
Malateste and other noblemen about the Count's taking on a
again, the courtiers' comments stress Ferdinand's predatory,
military command. Delio and Silvio comment on Malateste's
violent traits: a "salamander lives in his eye / To mock the
failings as a soldier. Daniel de Bosola enters and takes the
eager violence of fire," and his laugh is like the explosion of a
Cardinal and Ferdinand aside to report to them about the
"deadly cannon."
Duchess of Malfi and Antonio Bologna. Vengeful as ever,
Ferdinand denounces his sister, and the Cardinal declares he In Scene 4 Webster exploits the resources of Jacobean
will use his influence to ensure the state of Ancona will banish theater with a brief but highly effective "dumb show." That the
the Duchess and Antonio. scene is set in a religious shrine is an example of situational
irony, given the two main subjects of the dramatization. In the
first the Cardinal is portrayed as relinquishing his religious
office to become a soldier; in the second the Duchess and
Antonio are shown as banished. The Pope, allying himself with

the Cardinal, has unjustly confiscated Malfi from the Duchess, further, he gives her a dead man's hand. On one of its fingers is
and the Cardinal has forcefully wrested her wedding ring from the Duchess's wedding ring, wrenched off her finger by the
her finger. Cardinal in Act 3, Scene 4.
This brief scene, accompanied by a banal choral song intoned Ferdinand exits, and Bosola restores the lights, only to reveal
by churchmen, lays the groundwork for the Duchess's arrest at another shocking sight: a tableau of wax figures representing
the end of Act 3. It is worth noting that some textual scholars Antonio Bologna and the Duchess's children as dead. It turns
believe Webster did not compose the ditty sung to accompany out this is yet another trick to drive the Duchess mad.
the pantomime.
In the closing dialogue of this scene, Ferdinand reaffirms his
Act 3, Scene 5 largely features a triangular confrontation with intention to drive his sister over the brink of madness, saying
the Duchess, Antonio, and Bosola. The Duchess and Antonio he will collect the insane residents of the local hospital and
have reached a low point, as she asks, "Is all our train / Shrunk place them near the Duchess's lodging. When Bosola protests
to this poor remainder?" In sorrow and danger, the Duchess such cruelty, Ferdinand gruffly overrules him.
reveals herself as increasingly lyrical and imaginative. She
describes a dream in which the diamonds of her coronet
suddenly change into pearls. She compares human beings to Act 4, Scene 2
wild birds "that live i' th' field." And before Boscola escorts her
to prison, she tells him a fable of the meeting between a This scene opens abruptly with the Duchess of Malfi asking
salmon and a dogfish. Cariola about the "hideous noise" made by the "wild consort of
madmen" Ferdinand has dispatched to torment his sister. After
For the audience, however, the emotional center of this scene the Duchess and Cariola discuss their unfortunate situation, a
is the parting of the Duchess and Antonio. All indications are servant announces the entrance of eight madmen, who include
that they will not meet again in this life. As the Duchess tells an astrologer, a lawyer, a priest, a doctor, a farmer, a tailor, an
her husband, "I know not which is best, / To see you dead, or usher, and a broker. A madman intones a melancholy song.
part with you ... / In the eternal church, sir, / I do hope we shall Then, one by one, the mad characters give vent to a broad
not part thus." The two will not, in fact, see each other again. range of disjointed gibberish, ornamented with bizarre imagery:
for example, the Mad Astrologer declares, "I cannot sleep, my
pillow is stuffed with a litter of porcupines." The madmen
Act 4, Scenes 1–2 conclude their dialogue with a dance and then depart.
Daniel de Bosola enters, disguised as an old tomb-maker. He

and the Duchess trade gloomy observations on tombs and
Summary death, with the Duchess conscious all the while that her death
is near. Executioners enter the scene, carrying a coffin, cords
(used for strangulation), and a bell. Courageous to the end, the
Act 4, Scene 1 Duchess meets her death with dignity and resignation. Soon
after she is strangled, the executioners dispatch Cariola and
Ferdinand and Daniel de Bosola discuss how the Duchess is
the Duchess's children.
bearing the hardship of imprisonment. To Ferdinand's intense
annoyance, Bosola reports the Duchess of Malfi displays Ferdinand then enters to survey the carnage he has ordered. In
patience and nobility. Greatly displeased, Ferdinand curses his an extended dialogue with Bosola, Ferdinand displays a
sister as he departs. dramatically unhinged mind, while Bosola—strung and
humiliated by Ferdinand's ingratitude and cruelty—becomes
When the Duchess enters, Bosola informs her Ferdinand
steadily more repentant of his deeds. After Ferdinand departs,
intends to visit her. However, since he has solemnly vowed
the Duchess revives momentarily—just long enough for Bosola
never to see her again, she must extinguish all lights and
to assure her that Antonio de Bologna still lives and that the
converse with her brother in total darkness. Bosola exits, and
display of wax figures was a charade.
Ferdinand reenters. In an effort to unnerve the Duchess

comments, "Fortune seems only to have her eyesight / To

Analysis behold my tragedy."
Although spectators and readers might suppose Ferdinand's When Bosola enters disguised as an old tomb-maker, the
torrents of rage have reached their peak, the intensity of his imagery in the dialogue, not surprisingly, is suffused by death
fury and cruelty continues to grow in Scene 1. His visit to the and the physical corruption of the body. When the Duchess
Duchess takes place in complete darkness—a stage effect that asks him, "Who am I?" he answers, "a box of worm seed, at
must have both unnerved and tantalized the audience. best." Black humor dominates the dialogue, as the Duchess
Ferdinand ominously remarks to the Duchess, "This darkness questions the "tomb-maker" about the existence of fashion in
suits you well"—presumably alluding to his conviction she is the grave. When Bosola asks if she is afraid of death, the
immoral. But the comment is situationally ironic, considering Duchess denies any fear.
Ferdinand's own depravity. In previous encounters, the
Duchess tended to dismiss Ferdinand with humorous, The Duchess asks Cariola to ensure her little boy takes some
distracting, relatively light rebuffs. Here, however, she is syrup for his cold and her little girl says her prayers. The
defiant, telling him he will "howl in hell." homely, domestic details contrast poignantly with the
magnitude of the crime about to befall the Duchess and her
Ferdinand focuses single-mindedly in this act on breaking the children. When the executioners close in with their strangling
Duchess's spirit and reducing her to madness and despair. cord, the Duchess exhorts them to "pull strongly." Cariola is
This goal clearly underlies his consternation when Bosola then strangled on stage, with one of the executioners cynically
reports the Duchess bears her imprisonment and deprivation observing the noose is her "wedding ring." Bosola orders the
with dignity. It is as if Ferdinand has been deprived of his strangulation of the children offstage.
revenge.
The decisive break between Ferdinand and Bosola occurs in
Meanwhile, Bosola's speech in praise of the Duchess's nobility the final part of the scene. Ferdinand arrives to gloat on the
and long-suffering endurance may reasonably be interpreted slaughter he has ordered. Unaccountably, however, he is
to foreshadow his change of heart and repentance at the end paralyzed with amazement—possibly a result of the
of Act 4. This shift is even more strongly foreshadowed when unconscious surfacing of his incestuous desire for his sister:
he resists Ferdinand's orders at the end of Scene 1, declaring "Cover her face: mine eyes dazzle: she died young."
he has no wish to see the Duchess again. Remarkably, he scolds Bosola for the Duchess's death,
claiming, in a disjointed harangue, Bosola should have acted
For his part, Ferdinand's headlong embrace of cruelty and fury
differently, even though Ferdinand himself hoped to profit
seems unstoppable. At the end of Scene 1, having exulted in
handsomely from the Duchess's treasure at her death.
the horrific effects of the dead hand and the wax figures, he
exclaims to Ferdinand that Antonio "Lurks about Milan; thou The dialogue between Ferdinand and Bosola takes an even
shalt shortly thither / To feed a fire, as great as my revenge, / more bizarre turn when Bosola demands the reward he has
Which ne'er will slack, till it have spent his fuel: / Intemperate earned for his service. Sarcastically, Ferdinand tells him his
agues make physicians cruel." Especially noticeable is the reward will consist of a pardon for the Duchess's murder, and
warped imagery in this passage, which turns healers he threatens Bosola with legal action. When Bosola accuses
(physicians) into figures of cruelty when they confront serious Ferdinand and the Cardinal of having "a pair of hearts" like
diseases (intemperate agues). "hollow graves," Ferdinand dismisses him, ordering him to
withdraw "into some unknown part o' th' world / That I may
Scene 2, which presents first the psychological torture and
never see thee." Oblivious to Bosola's protest that he has
then the murder of the Duchess by strangling, marks the
acted as an obedient and loyal servant, Ferdinand departs,
dramatic climax of the play. Amid the "hideous noise" of the
remarking distractedly he will "go hunt the badger by owl-light:
madmen, the Duchess strives to maintain her composure,
/ 'Tis a deed of darkness."
telling Cariola, "I am not mad yet" and "yet I am not mad." At the
beginning of the scene, the theme of metatheatre is prominent. Is Bosola's turnaround credible? Much depends on the
The Duchess asks Cariola, for example, to sit down and reader's or spectator's interpretation of his final soliloquy in
"discourse to me some dismal tragedy." Shortly afterward, she Act 4, Scene 2. The sight of the dead Duchess wrings sobs

from him, and he laments a "guilty conscience" as a "black pretending not to know of the Duchess of Malfi's death. Julia
register." Bosola's speech starkly frames the eternal conflict of appears briefly, inviting the Cardinal to supper. Her physical
good versus evil, in which goodness wins out all too seldom. attraction to Bosola, however, is apparent. After she exits, the
His vow to "post to Milan" leaves audiences in suspense as to Cardinal orders Bosola to murder Antonio in Milan—a death
whether, or how, his newfound repentance will unfold. that will facilitate the Cardinal's marriage plans for the
Duchess. The Cardinal suggests that Bosola use Delio to trace
Antonio Bologna's whereabouts.
Act 5, Scenes 1–2 The Cardinal exits, and Julia re-appears, trading sexual banter
with Bosola. He exploits the circumstances, urging Julia to spy
for him on the Cardinal. Bosola withdraws, and the Cardinal
Summary reenters. In an aside, he worries that Ferdinand, in his
madness, may reveal the Duchess's murder. He also says he is
weary of Julia and would be rid of her. Julia coaxes him to
Act 5, Scene 1 disclose why he is so downhearted, at first to no avail. With
mounting irritation, the Cardinal at length informs her that his
As in Acts 1 and 3, the first scene of Act 5 opens with a
sister, along with two of her children, were strangled four
dialogue between Antonio Bologna and Delio. Delio tells
nights ago. Shocked, Julia exclaims she cannot conceal such a
Antonio he thinks the prospects of any reconciliation with
crime. But the Cardinal demands she swear to be silent. He
Ferdinand and the Cardinal are remote, but he offers to play
extends a Bible to Julia, asking her to take an oath by kissing
the role of intermediary with the Marquis of Pescara to recover
the book. In doing so, she mortally poisons herself.
some of Antonio's confiscated property. Pescara enters, but he
promptly assents to the Cardinal's claim to the land, which is Bosola reenters and, soon afterwards Julia succumbs to the
conveyed in a letter delivered by Julia, the Cardinal's mistress. poison. The Cardinal cynically re-affirms his command to kill
After Pescara departs, Antonio tells Delio he plans to confront Antonio, and Bosola pretends to assent. After the Cardinal
the Cardinal by night. exits, Bosola expresses his anguish in a soliloquy, lamenting
the Duchess still "haunts" him and vowing to protect Antonio.
Act 5, Scene 2
Analysis
Pescara enters, together with a doctor. Their dialogue reveals
Ferdinand now suffers from lycanthropy—a disease that
After the brothers' orgy of cruelty and murder in Act 4, these
causes him to believe he is sometimes transformed into a wolf.
scenes present the first sign that the fortunes of Ferdinand
The Doctor gives a vivid description of Ferdinand several
and the Cardinal are beginning to wane. Fittingly, the savage,
nights beforehand, when he was discovered in a lane near a
brutish Ferdinand has contracted lycanthropy, a disease that
graveyard carrying a corpse's leg on his shoulder and howling
has him believing he is a wolf. In the play as a whole, there are
fiercely.
references to more than 60 animal species, but none so
singularly hostile as the mentions of wolves. When Ferdinand
Ferdinand now enters, accompanied by the Cardinal, Count
sees the Duchess's strangled children in Act 4, Scene 2, for
Malateste, and Daniel de Bosola. Ferdinand is plainly suffering
example, he remarks, "The death of young wolves is never to
from a bout of insanity. He throws himself upon his own
be pitied." Later in the same scene, he predicts a wolf will dig
shadow, determined to strangle it. He prattles on about
up the Duchess's grave and thus disclose her murder.
traveling to Moscow. The Doctor attempts to treat him, but to
Moreover, Ferdinand himself is reported by the Doctor in this
no avail.
scene to have appeared at midnight in a lane near a graveyard,
Feigning an explanation for Ferdinand's bizarre behavior, the together with the leg of a corpse—presumably dug up by him
Cardinal claims an apparition of an old woman—believed in and torn from its tomb.
family lore to be a harbinger of death—has terrified his brother.
As for the Cardinal, his deception for Bosola brings little profit,
In private, the Cardinal is again deceptive with Bosola,

because—again, dramatically ironic—Bosola knows the truth he most wanted to protect. Before Antonio dies, Bosola
about the Duchess's death. From this point on, in fact, Bosola informs him of the murder of the Duchess and the two children.
and the Cardinal are portrayed unequivocally as lethal After Antonio's death, Bosola vows to avenge himself by killing
adversaries. It is significant to note that early in Act 1, the the Cardinal.
conflict between these two characters revolved around the
Cardinal's ingratitude for Bosola's service as a hired killer. Now,
for the first time, Webster foreshadows the possibility the Analysis
underling will turn on his master—with fatal results. Meanwhile,
the Cardinal's corruption and profanity are highlighted once However artificial the echo scene (Act 5, Scene 3) may appear
more in his murder of his mistress, Julia, whom he kills with a on the page, it is effective in theater, particularly in this play of
poisoned Bible. spectacular special effects. Much of Webster's action and
characterization straddles the border between the everyday
and the supernatural, and Bosola refers several times to the
Act 5, Scenes 3–4 notion of "haunting."
In Scene 4 Antonio's reluctance to murder the Cardinal while

the latter is at his prayers strongly recalls the scene in Act 3,
Summary Scene 3 of Shakespeare's Hamlet. There, too, the protagonist
hesitates to murder his uncle and stepfather Claudius when
Claudius tries to pray, because murder at that moment might
Act 5, Scene 3 send Claudius's soul to heaven. This Shakespearean echo in
The Duchess of Malfi should be read in tandem with the
This scene takes place in a fort built on the ruins of an ancient
echoes of Othello (Antonio's accidental dropping of the
abbey, close to the spot where the Duchess of Malfi is buried.
horoscope in Act 2, Scene 3 and the Duchess's momentary
Delio advises Antonio Bologna not to visit the Cardinal that
resuscitation in Act 4, Scene 2), as well as with several
night and to be mindful of his safety, but Antonio insists on
possible echoes of Julius Caesar (the Duchess's reference to
holding his course. Eerily, an echo repeats the final phrase of
Brutus's wife Portia in Act 4, Scene 1 and Ferdinand's
each speaker in the dialogue, providing an ominous
reference to the deaths of Pompey and Caesar in Act 5, Scene
foreshadowing of death, as it says, "Thou art a dead thing" and
5).
"Never see her more."
Bosola's "direful misprision" in stabbing Antonio rather than the
Cardinal is a bitter instance of situational irony: hoping to
Act 5, Scene 4 protect Antonio from harm, Bosola instead kills him by mistake.
The fatal blow elicits embittered comments on human destiny
The Cardinal enters, accompanied by various nobles. He urges
from both characters. Bosola exclaims human beings are
them not to attend Ferdinand in the Duke's violent fits. When
"merely the stars' tennis balls," while Antonio laments "in all our
the noblemen withdraw, the Cardinal admits he wishes privacy
quest of greatness / Like wanton boys whose pastime is their
to convey Julia's body to her own quarters. In virtually the same
care / We follow after bubbles / blown in th'air." Both
breath, he laments his conscience, saying he wishes to pray
comments recall Gloucester's bleak speech in Act 4, Scene 1
and that he will murder Daniel de Bosola after the latter
of King Lear: "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, /
completes the mission assigned him—namely, the murder of
They kill us for their sport."
Antonio Bologna.
But Bosola overhears the Cardinal's plans and witnesses the

ravings of Ferdinand, who seems also to be plotting Bosola's Act 5, Scene 5
murder. In the darkness Antonio enters, and Bosola, thinking
him to be the Cardinal, delivers a fatal sword thrust. Thus, in
another instance of situational irony, Bosola kills the very man

The Duchess of Malfi Study Guide Quotes 24
metatheatrical reference is amplified when Bosola, in his final

Summary speech, says Antonio met his end by "such a mistake as I have
often seen / In a play."
The play's final scene opens with the Cardinal, carrying a book
and speculating about its author's views about hell. His focus is Delio concludes the play on a somber note when he reflects
short-lived, however, as he is compelled to lament the burden that the fame of the great is like a footprint in snow that melts
of his guilty conscience, as well as a vision in his garden of an away with the first rays of sunshine. Echoing Ode 1.22 of the
attack by a mysterious "thing armed with a rake." Roman poet Horace (65–8 BCE), Delio says, "Integrity of life is
fame's best friend."
Daniel de Bosola enters, together with a servant who is
carrying Antonio Bologna's body. The Cardinal calls for help
when Bosola threatens him, but Roderigo, Pescara, Grisolan,
and Malateste, whom the Cardinal ordered not to intervene g Quotes
with Ferdinand in the previous scene, decide not to offer
assistance. Bosola kills the servant and then stabs the Cardinal
twice. Ferdinand enters in a fit of insanity. He also stabs the "He and his brother are like plum
Cardinal and then gives Bosola a lethal wound. Bosola kills trees that grow crooked over
Ferdinand, who dies exclaiming "My sister! O my sister!"
standing pools; they are rich, and
The scene ends with the deaths of the Cardinal and Bosola.
Delio enters, together with Antonio's son, and sadly o'erladen with fruit, but none but
contemplates the tragedy. crows, pies, and caterpillars feed
on them."
Analysis
— Daniel de Bosola, Act 1, Scene 1
The Cardinal's guilty conscience and eerie vision of a vengeful
attack become all too real moments later with the entrance of
The simile Daniel de Bosola uses to describe the Cardinal and
Bosola. This time, despite the Cardinal's desperate offer to
Ferdinand is ominous in both tone and content. Outwardly, the
"divide revenues," there is no scope for verbal sparring. In
Duchess of Malfi's two brothers appear opulent and powerful.
another instance of situational irony, the noblemen, whom the
But the plum trees to which Bosola compares them grow
Cardinal had cautioned to remain neutral in Scene 4, decline to
"crooked" over "standing" (stagnant) water, hinting at disease
come to his aid. Bosola points out specifically he is motivated
or corruption. The birds that feed on these trees are
by the tragic death of Antonio, and he grimly exhorts the
scavengers, suggesting the brothers' inner rot.
Cardinal to pray the unjust murder of his sister may somehow
be forgiven.
Adding to the situational irony is Ferdinand's sudden entrance, "But for their sister, the right-noble
clearly in a fit of insanity. He thinks himself to be in battle and
believes the Cardinal is his enemy. When the Cardinal protests
Duchess, / You never fixed your
he is Ferdinand's brother, Ferdinand asks if he is the devil. eye on three fair medals, / Cast in
Then, after a babbling account of Julius Caesar and his enemy
Pompey, Bosola kills Ferdinand: "Now my revenge is perfect," one figure, of so different temper."
Bosola declares.
— Antonio Bologna, Act 1, Scene 1
When the noblemen enter and ask Bosola to explain the
disaster, he again refers to revenge: this time, vengeance for
the Duchess, Antonio, Julia, and himself—"that was an actor in These lines introduce a speech of elaborate praise. Antonio
the main of all / Much 'gainst mine own good nature." This clearly differentiates the Duchess of Malfi from her corrupt,

cruel brothers. He singles out the sweetness and eloquence of This is one of a number of passages that might be quoted to
the Duchess for special praise. illustrate the extreme cruelty, bordering on insanity, of the
Duchess of Malfi's twin brother Ferdinand. The duke's wish
here ironically inverts one of the main premises of ancient
"For I am going into a wilderness, / sacrifice, in which the sweet smoke of the offering ascends to
heaven for the pleasure of the gods. Twice in this scene
Where I shall find nor path, nor Ferdinand's brother the Cardinal reproaches him for madness.
friendly clew / To be my guide."
— Duchess of Malfi, Act 1, Scene 1

"Methinks 'twas yesterday. Let me
but wink, / And not behold your
The Duchess of Malfi's somber lines to her maid Cariola face, which to mine eye / Is
present a striking metaphor that accurately describes her
situation. The Duchess alludes to her decision to woo and somewhat leaner, verily I should
marry Antonio Bologna—a project she undertakes right after
dream / It were within this half-
this speech. In this endeavor, she is truly a pioneer by the
standards of the Renaissance. On a broader scale, as a tragic hour."
heroine, the Duchess also stands out as an explorer in a
pathless wilderness. — Delio, Act 3, Scene 1
Delio's speech to Antonio Bologna explicitly marks the

"Man stands amazed to see his passage of time. The Duchess of Malfi has had two more
deformity / In any other creature children, says Antonio. Webster's failure to observe the
"classical" unity of time—whereby the action of a play was
but himself." supposedly limited to 24 hours—was criticized, especially by
neoclassical critics. However, his breach of the unities (time,
— Daniel de Bosola, Act 2, Scene 1 place, and action) was no more flagrant than Shakespeare's in
certain plays, such as Antony and Cleopatra and The Winter's
Tale.
The cynical Daniel de Bosola touches on the theme of physical
corruption by mentioning "deformity." Human beings, he says,
are curiously sensitive to the ugliness that nature may
occasionally produce in nonhuman creatures—but insensitive "I am armed 'gainst misery, / Bent
to their own ugliness and vulnerability to "lice and worms."
to all sways of the oppressor's will.
/ There's no deep valley, but near
"I would have their bodies / Burnt some great hill."
in a coal-pit, with the ventage
stopped, / That their cursed
smoke might not ascend to In these lines the Duchess of Malfi expresses philosophical
heaven." resignation, as well as considerable courage. She has just
observed to Daniel de Bosola that "men oft are valued high,
when th'are most wretch'd." Some editors have suggested the
— Ferdinand, Act 2, Scene 5
final line of the quotation echoes the opening verse of Psalm

121: "I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my
/ They call lycanthropia."
help."
— Doctor, Act 5, Scene 2
"I account this world a tedious

Ferdinand has taken on the identity of a werewolf—perhaps a
theatre, / For I do play a part in't situationally ironic and suitable form of insanity for a man
'gainst my will." whose passions and cruelty have placed him on the border of
madness throughout much of the play.
"Thy curiosity / Hath undone thee:

The Duchess of Malfi defies Daniel de Bosola, who has arrived
to torture—and ultimately to murder—her. Along with defiance, thou'rt poisoned with that book; /
though, the Duchess expresses a melancholy recognition that
Because I knew thou couldst not
she has been fated to live in a hostile world. The quotation also
illustrates the persistent theme of metatheater in Webster's keep my counsel / I have bound
play—a continuing self-consciousness about the theater as a
thee to't by death."
representation, or even a symbol, for human life itself.
— Cardinal, Act 5, Scene 2
"I am Duchess of Malfi still."

These are the Cardinal's final words to Julia, the mistress he
— Duchess of Malfi, Act 4, Scene 2 murders with the apparently innocuous act of having her kiss
the Bible he holds out to her. The situational irony seems
unmistakable. The Cardinal profanes holy scripture by using
Perhaps the most famous line in the play, this exclamation by the Bible as an instrument for murder. He also profanes his
the Duchess of Malfi on the verge of her death is a ringing position as a highly placed clergyman, or "prince of the
reaffirmation of her courage and dignity. Having suffered church."
excruciating psychological torments, she is still capable of
proudly defying the sinister threats of Daniel de Bosola.
"In all our quest of greatness, /

"Cover her face: mine eyes dazzle: Like wanton boys whose pastime
she died young." is their care, / We follow after
bubbles, blown in th'air."
— Ferdinand, Act 4, Scene 2
— Antonio Bologna, Act 5, Scene 4

Ferdinand's disjointed exclamations as he gazes at the dead
body of his twin sister foreshadow his total loss of sanity. In
Antonio Bologna's despairing exclamation is uttered just
Act 5 he falls victim to lycanthropy, believing himself to be a
before his death. He is the victim of an unintentional yet fatal
wolf, a creature he has repeatedly maligned as savage.
knife thrust by Daniel de Bosola, who hoped to stab the
Cardinal. Antonio's lines may echo the despairing remark by
Gloucester in Act 4, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's King Lear: "As
"A very pestilent disease, my lord, flies to wanton boys are we to the gods, / They kill us for their

The Duchess of Malfi Study Guide Symbols 27
sport."
l Symbols
"How tedious is a guilty
conscience! / When I look into the Ring
fishponds, in my garden, /
Methinks I see a thing armed with When Ferdinand first enters in Act 1, he asks who "took the
ring oftenest" in the jousting competition—that is, threaded the
a rake / That seems to strike at point of his lance through a ring to claim first prize. When he is
me." told Antonio Bologna claimed the prize, punning combines with
foreshadowing, for later in the act Antonio will receive a ring of
another sort: a wedding token from the Duchess of Malfi.
— Cardinal, Act 5, Scene 5
The ring functions as symbolic of accomplishment and virtue

This is a rare moment in which Webster allows the audience a as well as a pledge of fidelity. Thus, it is a shocking indignity
glimpse of the Cardinal's inner torment. The lines combine when the Cardinal tears away the Duchess's ring in Act 3,
vivid, specific details (the fishponds, the rake, the action of Scene 4 and a profanation, or a shameful debasement, when
striking) with a generalized, vague threat ("a thing"). The the ring is discovered on the finger of the dead man's hand
Cardinal, like his brother Ferdinand, seems almost insane shown to the Duchess in Act 4, Scene 1. That the Cardinal and
here—a fitting recompense for his violence and cruelty. Ferdinand are responsible for this cruelty is not in doubt. In
fact, Ferdinand cynically dubs the ring a "love-token." Likewise,
the Executioner perverts the symbol just before murdering
"O, this gloomy world! / In what a Cariola in Act 4, Scene 2 by brandishing the noose of his
strangling cord and taunting his victim, "Here's your wedding
shadow, or deep pit of darkness, / ring."
Doth, womanish and fearful,

mankind live! / Let worthy minds
Wolf
ne'er stagger in distrust / To suffer
death, or shame for what is just."
In a play full of animal imagery, the wolf is the perfect symbol
— Daniel de Bosola, Act 5, Scene 5 of bestiality and savagery. Nocturnal and predatory, wolves are
associated with hostility and violence. It is altogether fitting,
therefore, for Ferdinand, the drama's most animalistic
Daniel de Bosola's final lines in the play crystallize both his
character by nature, to lapse toward the end of the play into
cynicism and his belated penitence for the evil and treachery
lycanthropy. Lycanthropy is a mental illness that makes him
of his actions. One of the most complex figures in Renaissance
believe he is often transformed into a wolf.
drama, Bosola begins the play by suborning himself to the
Cardinal and Ferdinand, even though he is well aware of their Appropriately, most of the wolf imagery in the play is
corruption and ingratitude. He enacts the most repellent associated with Ferdinand. In Act 3, Scene 2, for example, he
cruelties on the Duchess of Malfi and her household, yet he is insultingly tells his sister the Duchess of Malfi, "The howling of
capable of both pity and penitence, along with revenge. His a wolf / Is music to thee, screech-owl." In Act 4, Scene 2 he
final line is reminiscent of Julia's: "I go, / I know not whither" justifies the murder of the Duchess's children, saying, "The
(Act 5, Scene 2). Paradoxically, perhaps there is also an echo death / Of young wolves is never to be pitied." And toward the
of the Duchess's somber comment in Quotation 3. end of the same scene, after the Duchess's murder, he

The Duchess of Malfi Study Guide Themes 28
predicts to Daniel de Bosola that a wolf will find his sister's

grave and dig up the body to expose the murder. In Act 5, m Themes
Scene 2 the doctor describes Ferdinand in much the same
guise, prowling near a graveyard at midnight with the leg of a
man on his shoulder and howling fiercely.
Corruption
Darkness Corruption is one of John Webster's most pervasive themes in

The Duchess of Malfi, operating on at least three levels:
political, moral, and physical (bodily). Antonio Bologna
introduces the theme in the opening lines of Act 1, Scene 1. In
Darkness is so prominent in The Duchess of Malfi, both in the
commenting to Delio about the French court, he remarks that
imagery of the dialogue and in the stage effects, that it
politics function like a fountain that can be easily poisoned at
transcends merely temporal (earthly) or chronological status
the source.
and assumes symbolic meaning. Darkness symbolizes crime,
evil, madness, ignorance, and diabolical or devilish forces.
The play furnishes numerous examples of political and moral
corruption in Malfi, most of them directly linked to two of the
In Act 2, Scene 3, for example, Antonio Bologna and Daniel de
court's most powerful figures, the Cardinal and Ferdinand, who
Bosola share an eerie encounter by night in which each man
are the Duchess of Malfi's brothers. Ferdinand is tyrannical and
displays aggression and hostility toward the other. Despite
cruel, whereas the Cardinal has suborned, or secretly
Bosola's "dark lantern," the dialogue establishes the two men
persuaded, hired murderers and keeps a married woman, Julia,
have difficulty identifying one another. This is the crucial scene
as his mistress. Both men relentlessly oppress their sister the
in which Antonio accidentally drops the horoscope he has
Duchess, forbidding her to remarry and coveting her wealth. In
prepared for his newborn son. At the end of Act 2, Scene 5, in
addition, Ferdinand, the Duchess's twin, harbors incestuous
which Ferdinand vents his rage at the Duchess to his brother
desires.
the Cardinal, Ferdinand uses darkness as the vehicle for
revenge. He will, he vows, fix the Duchess "in a general
Corruption, however, is not confined to the Cardinal and
eclipse." Notably, this scene begins with Ferdinand's disclosure
Ferdinand. Daniel de Bosola, who is one of the play's most
he has been active by night, digging up a "mandrake" (a root
important characters, also exemplifies corruption for most of
associated with superstition, magic, and poison).
the drama. It is revealed that, prior to the play's opening, he has
been a hired killer for the Cardinal. He serves Ferdinand as a
But the most spectacular use of darkness as both a stage
hired "intelligencer" (spy) in the Duchess's household. Then,
effect and symbol occurs in Act 4, Scene 1 in which the
after betraying her secrets to the brothers, he carries out the
Duchess is forced to confront Ferdinand without lights. The
executions of the Duchess, her maid, and her children. All the
excuse, put forth by Bosola, is that Ferdinand has vowed never
while he is portrayed as a melancholy malcontent who seems
to see his sister again. But the more accurate rationale springs
obsessed, almost to the point of nihilism, by bodily decay and
from Ferdinand's single-minded focus on driving his sister into
death.
insanity and despair. To achieve this goal he needs darkness to
accompany his horrifying presentation to the Duchess of a
dead man's hand—clearly intending she infer it is the hand of
her husband Antonio. In this scene darkness symbolizes its full
range of meanings in the play, encompassing many layers of
Deception
evil.
The tendrils of deceit extend to almost all the major characters

in the play. The Cardinal, Ferdinand, and Daniel de Bosola
dissemble, or present a false notion of themselves,
continuously. Indeed deception seems part of their nature. In

contrast to innate dishonesty, however, virtuous characters madness and despair, Ferdinand uses Daniel de Bosola to
such as the Duchess of Malfi, Antonio Bologna, and Delio are arrange an interview with her in total darkness in Scene 1. Here
forced to adopt deception. he delivers a dead man's hand to her, clearly implying that it is
the hand of Antonio Bologna, her husband. When Bosola
Ferdinand sets the pattern in Act 1 when he persuades his restores the lights and draws a curtain, the Duchess must
sister to hire Bosola for "provisorship o'th' horse." Ferdinand's suffer a second shock: a display of wax figures that simulate
true purpose, it is clear, is to plant a spy in the Duchess's her husband and children in death.
household—specifically to monitor her marital status. In Act 2
Bosola carries out an elaborate stratagem, or scheme, with In Act 4, Scene 2 Ferdinand's psychological torture continues
apricots to ascertain whether the Duchess is pregnant. with the hellish noises and gibberish of eight madmen—insane
residents of a local hospital gathered by Ferdinand specifically
Meanwhile, the Cardinal's deceit is apparent in his lecherous to terrify and shock his sister.
relationship with Julia, who cuckolds her husband Castruccio
to serve the prelate as his mistress. Sarcastically and Although Ferdinand is the character most notable for cruelty in
hypocritically, the Cardinal declares it would take one of the play, both the Cardinal and Bosola exhibit this trait as well.
Galileo's telescopes "to find a constant woman." In a grim The Cardinal has no hesitation, for example, in tyrannizing the
instance of situational irony, the Cardinal murders Julia by Duchess and in poisoning his mistress Julia, while Bosola, for
means of a poisoned Bible. most of the drama, carries out the orders of his employers,
including the murder of the Duchess and her children, even
The web of deception in the play is so elaborate and complex while lamenting his own debasement.
that virtuous characters are involved as well as evil ones. For
example, Delio recommends the Duchess and Antonio spread
the rumor that Bosola's apricots have been poisoned. To
distract attention from the Duchess's childbirth, she fabricates Heroism
an accusation of embezzlement against Antonio. And, when
Bosola recommends to the Duchess a bogus pilgrimage to
Loreto to conceal her flight to Ancona, she readily assents.
The two characters with a substantial claim to heroism in the
play are the Duchess of Malfi and Antonio Bologna. The
Duchess risks her position and her life in remarrying, against
Cruelty the express wishes of both her brothers. Furthermore, she
woos and wins a man of lower social status, flying against
custom and court precedent. She is keenly aware of the risks
she takes, admitting in Act 1 to embarking on a journey in a
The theme of cruelty, like the theme of deception, intersects pathless wilderness.
and overlaps with the theme of corruption in the play. The
principal exemplar of cruelty is Ferdinand, the Duchess of In Act 3, Scene 2, when the menacing Ferdinand sneaks into
Malfi's twin brother. Four scenes with Ferdinand stand out in her bedchamber carrying a dagger, the Duchess does not
the dramatization of this character trait. In Act 2, Scene 5, shrink. Instead she says, "For know, whether I am doomed to
Ferdinand's volcanic rage at his sister leaves even the Cardinal live or die, / I can do both like a prince." Later in this scene she
taken aback. Ferdinand wishes, for example, he could bake the reveals herself as a woman of action, improvising a fabricated
bodies of the Duchess and her lover so that no smoke or accusation of embezzlement against Antonio to cover his
steam would escape into the air. In Act 3, Scene 2 Ferdinand tracks as he escapes to Ancona. At the end of Act 3, Scene 5,
rails at his sister in person, calling her a "vile woman" and when she is arrested by Daniel de Bosola on her brothers'
exclaiming he will never see her again. He gives her a dagger, orders, she declares herself "armed 'gainst misery." In Act 4,
presumably for her to use to commit suicide. when she meets her greatest obstacles and finally suffers
execution, she remains both magnanimous and
In Act 4, Scenes 1 and 2, Ferdinand's cruelty reaches a fever courageous—qualities that resound in her simple assertion of
pitch. Determined to push the Duchess over the line into dignity: "I am Duchess of Malfi still."

Antonio is also shown as heroic, but in somewhat more muted mist: I know not how; / Such a mistake as I have often seen / In
terms. In Act 1 he lauds the "right noble Duchess" and then a play." The theater, he implies, holds up a mirror for humans to
accepts her wooing with passion and admiration. Recognizing glimpse the "gloomy world" in which they live. This is both the
Bosola as a cunning pretender, Antonio defies him in Act 2, theater's power and its terror.
Scene 3. Unfortunately, he makes the error of dropping the
paper on which he has cast a horoscope for his newborn son.
Bosola is thus provided with some crucial information, which he
promptly transmits to the Duchess's brothers. Ever faithful to
the Duchess, Antonio strives to keep up the spirits of the
beleaguered couple in Act 3, Scene 5 when he advises, "Make
patience a noble fortitude, / And think not how unkindly we are
used."
Despite the foreboding of the echo scene (Act 5, Scene 3),

Antonio proceeds in his plan to confront the Cardinal. It is then
that he meets a tragic end, as Bosola stabs him by mistake
(Act 5, Scene 4). He dies with the wish his son will "fly the
courts of princes."
Metatheater
As in a number of plays of the period—for example,

Shakespeare's Hamlet and Ben Jonson's Volpone—The
Duchess of Malfi contains prominent references to the theater
and to acting. These metatheatrical elements remind
audiences they are watching a play that has been written,
staged, and acted to provoke their curiosity, admiration, and
thought.
The first such moment occurs when the Duchess of Malfi

lightly shrugs off her brothers' menacing admonitions not to
remarry. "I think this speech between you both was studied, / It
came so roundly off," she says in Act 1. In Act 4, Scene 1, after
the Duchess has endured the horrifying sight of a dead man's
hand and the wax figures of Antonio Bologna and the children,
she exclaims to Daniel de Bosola, "I account this world a
tedious theatre, / For I do play a part in't 'gainst my will." In the
following scene, she tells Cariola, "Fortune seems only to have
her eyesight / To behold my tragedy."
In the play's final scene Bosola again emphasizes the theme of

metatheater by identifying himself as an "actor" in the story,
"much 'gainst mine own good nature" (Act 5, Scene 5). When
Malateste asks Bosola how Antonio met his death,
Bosola—who has killed Antonio accidentally—responds, "In a
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The Duchess of

What's Inside d In Context

j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1

captivated by Shakespeare's acting troupe, the Chamberlain's

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The two most accomplished plays of Webster's career in the

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Mayor of London. known for his melancholy. Something of a social striver, he

Webster's Achievement employer—treated Bosola poorly. Portrayed as quick witted

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the Church," is exploitative and deceitful. He acts menacingly

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Other Major Character

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Full Character List The Churchmen sing a sycophantic, or

Castruccio is one of the important

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The Mad Doctor appears in Act 4, Pescara, a marquis, or nobleman, is

The Second Pilgrim also contributes

Roderigo is one of the minor courtiers

Malateste is a count whom Ferdinand

Appearing at the court of Malfi in Act

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5. Ferdinand vows to destroy the Duchess and her lover.

6. The Duchess, Antonio, and their children flee to Ancona.

8. Ferdinand psychologically tortures the imprisoned Duchess.

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Antonio, the Duchess's steward, returns to Malfi from

Some days later

Ferdinand hires Bosola to spy on the Duchess.

The Duchess defies her brothers by wooing and

Nine months later

Bosola tricks the Duchess and confirms her pregnancy

Amid a disturbance in the palace, the Duchess gives

Some days later

Learning of her marriage and child, Ferdinand vows to

Two years later

The Duchess refuses to consider Ferdinand's suggestion

Ferdinand sneaks into the Duchess's chamber and

Later that night

Frightened, the Duchess counsels Antonio to flee to

Bosola enters and, after learning information, advises her

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and her children to flee to Loreto.

The Cardinal arranges for the Duchess and her family to

Antonio escapes to Milan with their eldest child just

Ferdinand torments the Duchess with a dead man's hand

The next day

After he torments her more, Ferdinand orders the deaths

Four days later

The Cardinal murders his mistress Julia, of whom he has

Bosola kills Antonio accidentally, believing he is striking

The Cardinal, Ferdinand, and Bosola are all stabbed and

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After the Cardinal departs, Bosola shares with Antonio and

Ferdinand requests his sister, the Duchess, to employ Bosola

Act 1, which consists of a single scene, opens at the court in

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galleys—an especially harsh prison sentence—for a murder he