character summary |
women as rulers |
Queen Elizabeth |
the Duchess and Ferdinand |
links, credits, etc.
An Analysis of
character summary |
women as rulers |
Queen Elizabeth |
the Duchess and Ferdinand |
links, credits, etc.
An Analysis of
The Duchess of Malfi: Character Summary
A widow, the duchess rules her duchy alone. Lonely and in love,
she secretly marries her steward Antonio. This is done in a
hand-fast marriage witnessed by Cariola, the Duchess' hand-maiden.
By choosing to marry Antonio in secret, the Duchess neglects her
duty to her people. When she begins getting pregnant and giving
birth, her people denounce her as a strumpet. They then lose
their respect for their leader. The pilgrims in Act 4 (when the Duchess and her family are in Loreto at the religous shrine) are the only disinterested parties in the play. They are also the only disinterested commoners.
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Women as Rulers
Women rulers and the circumstances they deal with are very
much unlike men rulers and their situations. The women must
worry about society's propensities, their own feelings, and the
welfare of their people. It is much more difficult to be a woman
in power than to be a man in power. The choices women rulers make
cannot be only for themselves, and one wrong decision can spell
disaster. Interested in women's courtly power and influence?
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The Real-life Duchess of Malfi: Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth I ruled over England alone. She never married,
choosing to claim instead that she was married to her country.
By doing this, Elizabeth retained her authority and she was not
forgotten behind the name of a man. In spite of this, though, or
perhaps because of it, she endeared herself to her people. The Duchess, choosing love, chooses her downfall. The Queen Elizabeth, choosing duty (her throne), chooses the path to immortality.
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Instances of Ferdinand’s incestuous feelings occur throughout
the play. In Act I, for instance, Ferdinand speaks offensively
toward his sister finally calling her a "lusty widow" (I, ii).
In response to the Duchess’ remarriage, he treats her with
continued scorn & violent behavior. When the true identity of
her husband is discovered, Ferdinand opts to wait until the
Duchess is dead before attempting to kill Antonio. Ferdinand’s
use of dead man’s hand ["Here’s a hand/ To which you have vowed
much love; the ring upon’t/ You gave" (IV.i)] suggests a sort
of phallic significance (Leech 58).
Ferdinand’s last words hint at his possible recognition of his
incestuous feeling where he says, "My Sister, O my sister!
there’ s the cause on’t. / Whether we fall by ambition, blood,
or lust, / Like Diamonds, we are cut with our own dust" (V.v).
His final statement brings the reader back to Act I where the
Duchess says, "Diamonds are of most value / They say, that have
passed through most jewellers’ [sic] hands" (I.ii). Where the
Duchess earlier likens herself to a diamond, Ferdinand is cut
by her dust. This may suggest that he acknowledges his
destruction by the dust that both he & his sister share (because
of their blood relation). While Ferdinand accepts his downfall,
it is doubtful that he could have reached a full understanding
of his feelings due in part to his sickening state of mind near
the time of his death.
The Duchess and Ferdinand
Incest, as a motive, was used extensively in various Elizabethan
/Jacobean plays including Hamlet, A King & No King, and ‘Tis
Pity She’s a Whore. Incest is merely implied in The Duchess of
Malfi because the queer nature of the play does not allow it to
become an absolute. Evidence supports the idea that Webster
would like his audience to view Ferdinand’s rage against his
sister’s remarriage stemming from a feeling of incest that even
he himself may not recognize (Leech 57).
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