John Ford's

was first published in 1633 but so close are its affinities with Jacobean revenge tragedy that critics have often wondered whether it had not in fact been written much earlier; there is, however, no firm evidence for this. The “whore” of the title is a young woman called Annabella who lives in Parma, Italy, with her brother Giovanni and her father Florio. Her mother is dead and Annabella's sole source of moral guidance is her “tut'ress”, Putana, whose name ominously translates as “whore”. When the play opens, Annabella's brother Giovanni has just returned from his studies at the renowned Italian university of Bologna (it was particularly famous for its classes in anatomy, which may be of some interest given what transpires). He is…

1292 words

Citation: Hopkins, Lisa. "'Tis Pity She's a Whore". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 December 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8367, accessed 21 November 2024.]