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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre)
- 125 statements
- 23 feature instances
- 16 referencing feature instances
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | page |
TheDuchessOfMalfi | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | comment |
As the play is Older Than Steam, all spoilers on this page are unmarked.The Duchess of Malfi is a macabre tragic play written in 1612-13 by Jacobean John Webster. A court piece, first performed before King James I, it deals with corruption and the power of women at the Italian court, and criticizes Catholicism in the process.The play is set in the court of Malfi (Amalfi), in Italy, 1504 to 1510, but filled with references to then-current events. The recently widowed Duchess falls in love with Antonio, a lowly steward, but her brothers, not wishing her to share their inheritance, forbid her from remarrying. She marries Antonio in secret and bears him three children.The Duchess's lunatic and incestuously obsessed brother Ferdinand threatens and disowns her, instructing Bosola to spy on her. Antonio escapes with their eldest son, but the Duchess, her maid, and her two younger children are arrested and die at the hands of Bosola's executioners. However, his guilt turns Bosola against the Cardinal and his brother. The final scene involves an elaborate fight that leaves most main characters dead. | |
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Dropped link to ChasteSeparatingSword: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | processingUnknown |
Chaste Separating Sword | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_259d5879 | type |
Anachronism Stew | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_259d5879 | comment |
Anachronism Stew: Many references are made to events that were current at the time of writing, and locations that had been discovered recently, however the play is set about one hundred years earlier. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_259d5879 | featureApplicability |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_259d5879 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_2e5e04c0 | type |
Must Make Amends | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_2e5e04c0 | comment |
Must Make Amends: Bosola strangles the duchess, but almost immediately attempts to revive her once he learns that her brother, who hired him to commit the murder, is refusing to pay him. It doesn't work. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_2e5e04c0 | featureApplicability |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_2e5e04c0 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_47fea76b | type |
Butt-Monkey | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_47fea76b | comment |
Butt-Monkey: Poor girl. All she wanted was to get married... and look at the horrors that unleashes! Imprisonment, mental torture, her eventual murder... Her hapless husband Antonio also applies. Malfi probably has the earliest instance of the hitman being something of a Butt Monkey too. | |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_47fea76b | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_617f0563 | type |
Heel–Face Turn | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_617f0563 | comment |
Bosola is a straight example, so much so that he does a Heel–Face Turn once Ferdinand stiffs him on payment for a job. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_617f0563 | featureApplicability |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_617f0563 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_64e6f231 | type |
No Matter How Much I Beg | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_64e6f231 | comment |
No Matter How Much I Beg: In an attempt to keep the mad Ferdinand from revealing the Duchess' murder, the Cardinal tells his courtiers not to come into his rooms no matter what they hear, as Ferdinand needs to learn that causing a disturbance won't get him anywhere. This comes back to bite him when Bosola turns up and kills both of them. | |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_64e6f231 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_6bda9a30 | type |
Meaningful Name | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_6bda9a30 | comment |
Meaningful Name: The husband of the Cardinal's mistress is an old lord named Castuccio, Italian for castrated, or impotent. | |
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| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | hasFeature |
The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_6bda9a30 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_771f6307 | type |
Brother–Sister Incest | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_771f6307 | comment |
Brother–Sister Incest: Ferdinand subconsciously lusts after his sister, the Duchess. He makes increasingly aggressive innuendo in the play, leading to his descent into melancholy and insanity after her murder. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_771f6307 | featureApplicability |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_771f6307 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_8084141a | type |
Out-of-Context Eavesdropping | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_8084141a | comment |
Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: An ambiguous overheard conversation causes Bosola to believe that Antonio is an assassin sent by the Cardinal to kill him, causing Bosola to kill Antonio before he can recognise him. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_8084141a | featureApplicability |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_8084141a | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_83bc57c0 | type |
Slave Galley | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_83bc57c0 | comment |
Slave Galley: Bosola spent some years in the galleys, the last punishment for serious crimes before execution, for murder. This may explain his initial attitude. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_83bc57c0 | featureApplicability |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_83bc57c0 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_8411ab92 | type |
Red Oni, Blue Oni | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_8411ab92 | comment |
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Ferdinand is red, the Cardinal blue. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_8411ab92 | featureApplicability |
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| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | hasFeature |
The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_8411ab92 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_895ec17 | type |
Only in It for the Money | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_895ec17 | comment |
Only in It for the Money: The Cardinal subverts this: his motives initially seem to be this, but ultimately he doesn't seem to have any beyond For the Evulz. Bosola is a straight example, so much so that he does a Heel–Face Turn once Ferdinand stiffs him on payment for a job. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_895ec17 | featureApplicability |
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| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | hasFeature |
The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_895ec17 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_89b8822f | type |
Go Mad from the Revelation | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_89b8822f | comment |
Go Mad from the Revelation: Ferdinand loses his mind from guilt shortly after having his sister murdered, first believing himself to have become a wolf and later trying to attack his own shadow. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_89b8822f | featureApplicability |
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| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | hasFeature |
The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_89b8822f | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_9245d989 | type |
Sinister Minister | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_9245d989 | comment |
Sinister Minister: The Cardinal, the Duchess's brother (Webster was more into plots than names, it seems). He conspires to have his sister killed and her kids murdered, partly in order to preserve the family honor and partly to get his hands on her wealth. He also pulls strings to have ill-gotten lands deeded to his mistress. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_9245d989 | featureApplicability |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_9245d989 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_9a888d97 | type |
Finger-Licking Poison | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_9a888d97 | comment |
Finger-Licking Poison: The Cardinal disposes of his mistress in this way, using a poisoned Bible. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_9a888d97 | featureApplicability |
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| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | hasFeature |
The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_9a888d97 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_a737743c | type |
Caged Bird Metaphor | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_a737743c | comment |
Caged Bird Metaphor: When Bosola is trying to inure the Duchess to the prospect of her death: | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_a737743c | featureApplicability |
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| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | hasFeature |
The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_a737743c | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_adfd3165 | type |
For the Evulz | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_adfd3165 | comment |
The Cardinal subverts this: his motives initially seem to be this, but ultimately he doesn't seem to have any beyond For the Evulz. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_adfd3165 | featureApplicability |
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| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | hasFeature |
The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_adfd3165 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_ae3d6438 | type |
Deadpan Snarker | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_ae3d6438 | comment |
Deadpan Snarker: Bosola frequently makes snide side-comments about other characters' actions. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_ae3d6438 | featureApplicability |
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| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) | hasFeature |
The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_ae3d6438 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_d52d28b6 | type |
Hypocrite | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_d52d28b6 | comment |
Hypocrite: The Cardinal, who lectures the Duchess about her sex life, is later revealed to have a mistress himself. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_d52d28b6 | featureApplicability |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_d52d28b6 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_d7b34c31 | type |
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_d7b34c31 | comment |
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The Cardinal and the Duchess are never given proper names in the text. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_d7b34c31 | featureApplicability |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_d7b34c31 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_e0dc6390 | type |
Go Among Mad People | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_e0dc6390 | comment |
Go Among Mad People: The Duchess's brothers attempt to drive her insane by imprisoning her adjacent to half a dozen genuine madmen. Done right, it's a seriously disturbing scene. | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_e0dc6390 | featureApplicability |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_e0dc6390 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_e4b69188 | type |
Very Loosely Based on a True Story | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_e4b69188 | comment |
Very Loosely Based on a True Story: There was a real Duchess of Amalfi, Giovanna d'Aragona, who secretly married a commoner, Antonio di Bologna, after being widowed, as a result of which she, Antonio, and their children were murdered on the orders of her brother, Cardinal Lodovico. The second brother, Ferdinand, and the avenging of the murders, are fictional. (Left out of the story were Giovanna's two children by her first husband.) | |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_e4b69188 | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_eba6a077 | type |
Cain and Abel | |
| The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) / int_eba6a077 | comment |
Cain and Abel: Ferdinand, at the peak of his lunacy, delivers the death blow to his own brother, the Cardinal. | |
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The Duchess of Malfi (Theatre) |
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