John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi

Martin Wiggins (University of Birmingham)
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The action of

The Duchess of Malfi

takes place in early sixteenth-century Italy against a background of escalating European war; but its focus is on tensions within an aristocratic family. The power of the male head of the family over his female relatives' love-lives was a feature of patriarchal society which fascinated the author, John Webster, and underpins character relationships in many of his plays. In

The Duchess of Malfi

, the tensions, and the secrecy, arise from the Duchess's brothers' opposition to her remarriage; the Duchess being told by her elder brother, the Cardinal, that “[t]hey are most luxurious [lecherous] / Will wed twice” (1.1.284-5). In a period when female honour was associated largely with female chastity, second marriages troubled the male imagination, since…

1240 words

Citation: Wiggins, Martin. "The Duchess of Malfi". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 October 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=996, accessed 29 March 2024.]

996 The Duchess of Malfi 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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