SOURCES OF THE PLAY:The second volume of William Painters Palace of Pleasures

A further Source must be mentioned :-Websters own earlier Play , The White
Devil
Duchess Of Malfi: Introduction:

Duchess of Malfi is a work of genius

One of the Greatest Tragedies in English Language
Date of Composition approximately fixed as 1612-14
First Printed in 1623 in Quarto Form

SUMMARY OF THE PLAY

ACT 1

The action opens in the court of Ferdinand.The Duke of Calabria with

Antonio and his friend Delio , in conversation
Antonio has just returned to Malfi after a long stay in France
He tells Delio that the wise French King has purged his court of all
dishonest and corrupt courtiers ,while such wicked persons still
frequent the court of Malfi and poison the whole atmosphere.
The cardinal accompanied with Bosola , arrives on the scene
Ferdinand congratulates Antonio for his prowess and for his eloquent
speech. He has proven himself the best at a knightly competition
When the Cardinal reenters with the duchess, Antonio gives Delio his
impression of the three siblings
The Cardinal is jealous and vengeful
Ferdinand is perverse and turbulent
Duchess is sweet and noble

Ferdinand asks the Duchess to accept Bosola as a servant, and she

agrees; in fact, the brothers have hired Bosola to spy on the Duchess
The two brothers warn the Duchess not to remarry,and she promises that
she will not.
However, as soon as they leave her chamber, she summons Antonio and
the two perform a private marriage ceremony,with the Duchesss trusted
servant Cariola as witness.
ACT 2
This act begins several months later as the duchess is about to give
birth to a child
Her marriage to Antonio is still secret
Bosola suspects that she is pregnant and tries to trap her by giving
an apricot

To avoid suspicion that the Duchess is giving birth, a ruse is

invented: it is announced that jewels have been stolen, and
everyone must stay in his or her room while a search is conducted
The Duchess delivers a healthy son
Bosola gets the horoscope of the new born baby prepared by
Antonio
In Rome, the Cardinal meets in his chamber with Julia, the wife of
Castruccio, and he keeps her as his Mistress. Delio also arrives just
at that moment and proposed Julia ,but she refuses him
In another part of the Cardinals palace, Ferdinand received a letter
from Bosola telling him of the babys birth.
ACT 3
More than two years have passed
The duchess has given birth to two more children.Bosola still
has not discovered the identity of the father
To play an affectionate joke on her, Antonio and Cariola step
out of the room while the duchess is talking herself in the
mirror
Ferdinand comes into the room at the same moment. He
accuses her of shaming the family with her promiscuity, and
although she tells him that she is married ,he vows never to
look at her again
Duchess sends Antonio to safety
By pretending that he has stolen money and been
banished,planning to reunite in Ancona
The Duchess confides in Bosola telling him everything. But
Bosola revealed the truth to the brothers
Brothers respond with fury .The Duchess is arrested by
Bosola, in disguise
Antonio takes their oldest son and flees to Milan
ACT 4

Set in Duchesss chambers

Ferdinand visit the Duchess in a darkened because
he vowed never to see her again
Trying to drive her to despair, he arranges for a series
of horrors
Finally, Bosola brings two executioners to the
Duchesss chamber,and they strangle her.Duchess
faces her death with dignity
When Ferdinand sees her dead sister, he has a
dramatic change of heart and rather than rewarding
Bosola , he blames him for the murders
ACT 5
Cardinal seized Antonios property

Ferdinands madness has increased

The Cardinal pretends that he does not know the
Duchess is dead,so that he will not seem to have
been involved in the murder
The Cardinal confess to Julia that he has had his
sister killed,then he immediately kills Julia with a
poisoned book
Outside Cardinals home, Antonio and Delio
speak with a ghostly echo that comes from the
Duchesss grave
Bosola accidently kills Antonio mistaking him for
the Cardinal
In the final scene Bosola , Cardinal and
Ferdinand killed by stabbing each other
When the play ends Delio enters with
Antonios son and calls for a unified effort to
support the young man as the new Duke
Their son is a symbol of regeneration, of the new
order which is to be built on the ruins of the old,
such as has been achieved in France,of which
Antonio tells to Delio in the opening scene of the
play

Themes
Corruption
The most apt representation is The Cardinal
Ready to employ Basola to commit murders for him
Misuse of Power
Seen in the actions of the Cardinal and Ferdinand
Uses power for greed and interest
Status of women and consequence of their self-determination
Women are supposed to be submissive
Duchess went against her brothers wishes
Cruelty
Cardinal and Ferdinands cruelty towards the Duchess
Ferdinands wish to make Duchess mad
Class
The brothers does not wish to share their wealth with Antony
Also they consider him as, of a lower social status
Theatrical Devices
Derived from senecan tragedy
Act III Scene IV is a Mime scene
Act V scene III makes use of Echo
Hell on Earth
The brothers exhibit unrelenting evil
They are associated with motifs of darkness, fire, devil and sin
Disguise
Important symbol is Bosola
Distinction in what he says and how he acts
The Fertile Woman

Survival of the Duchesss oldest son

Carry on her and Antonios legacy
Product of love and the reproductive woman
Identity
The twin relationship between Ferdinand and the Duchess
Duchess given identity of virtuous widow
Sexuality
Linked to danger and violence
Shown to be the most evil
Revenge
Elements of horror
Murders
Supernatural elements
Madness shown on stage
The Perversion of Justice
Justice is failed and corrupted
Rules become perverse and immoral
The Costs of Evil
Destroying a loving family
Reducing to one young survivor
The three pillars of evil in the play The Cardinal, Ferdinand and Bosola
Reputation and Legacy
The brothers are obsessed with Duchesss reputation
She doesnt care about her reputation
Elements of Revenge Tragedy in The Play
Horror - abundant in the last two acts
Revenge and murders committed in a manner different from traditional
Supernatural elements presented deviating from tradition
Madness shown on stage tradition of Elizabethan revenge tragedy
Macabre, tragic play
Ends as a nightmarish tragedy
Violence and horror scenes makes it revenge tragedy