The duchess of malfi the lyceum royal lyceum theatre. Perhaps one of the main reasons the duchesss brothers attempted to control her actions. The duchess of malfi is one of the great plays of the english renaissance, written by john webster. The duchess of malfi 2014 directed by dominic dromgoole. The duchess of malfi is divided into five acts, each comprising several scenes. The duchess of malfi in a new version by zinnie harris after john webster a royal lyceum theatre edinburgh and citizens theatre coproduction.
It begins in the palace of the duchess, a young widow and the ruler of the italian town of amalfi. The duchess of malfi john webster old vic, london 5th may 2012 directed by jamie lloyd designed by soutra gilmour cast madeline appiah cariola harry atwell pescara tom bateman antonio eve best the duchess of malfi nari blairmangat roderigo mark bonnar bosola adam burton silvio lucy eaton livia. John webster 1580 1634 john websters bloody jacobean tragedy exposes the decadence of the italian court. An introduction to the duchess of malfi the british library. The virtuous duchess of malfi, a young widow, secretly marries her steward antonio, and is subsequently persecuted by her brothers. The duchess of malfi considered as a tragedyofblood. Jan 15, 2014 it helps, of course, that the opening play is websters the duchess of malfi which is a tragedy shrouded in darkness. Step in to the rehearsal room with photos from the duchess of malfi, directed by maria aberg with joan iyiola in the title role. Quotes and analysis for act 4 of websters the duchess of malfi. About the play the duchess of malfi royal shakespeare company.
The duchess of malfi owe to your honour their clearest service. The duchess of malfi what do we learn about the duchess and about how she is perceived by others. The duchess of malfi is a jacobean revenge tragedy written by english dramatist john webster in 161216. One of the oldest and greatest female roles of the english literary canon, the duchess of malfi is a complicated character who has to balance regality, playfulness, caring, contempt, intelligence and determination, and gemma arterton proves her dramatic prowess yet again by delivering a knockout performance in the title role. Ocr a level english literature the duchess of malfi. Websters the duchess of malfi reflects many of the sentiments prevalent at the time. The duchess of malfi is a revenge tragedy and unlike other revenge tragedies here the villain himself avenges the death of the duchess. In the duchess of malfi, the court is presented as a hotbed of corruption and injustice because its the place where the lordsubject relationship and all of the really nasty stuff that goes along with it gets played out. The play begins as a love story, when the duchess marries beneath her class, and ends as a nightmarish tragedy as her two brothers undertake their revenge, destroying themselves in the process. Apr, 2018 how to get an a9 in english literature gcse and a level new spec tips and tricks for 2018. Ferdinand in particular is creepily fixated on his. It helps, of course, that the opening play is websters the duchess of malfi which is a tragedy shrouded in darkness. The duchess of malfi takes place in roman catholic italy, which english audiences at the time when the play was written would have associated with corruption.
Her name plays on the italian carriolo, meaning trundlebed, where. But her new husband, antonio, is from a lower class and the marriage must be kept secret from the duchess s brothers for fear of their revenge. About the play the duchess of malfi royal shakespeare. A bigger test may come when the theatre has to house a robust comedy like. Analysis of the third scene lines 147, act i the duchess of malfi is a tragedy divided into five acts, each one subdivided in several scenes. That said, i do not totally agree with the downplaying of the incest theme ferdinands feelings for his sister or the choice of actor for antonio who. The play was first performed by the prestigious kings men acting troupe at the blackfriars theater, though the remainder of its initial run might have been housed at the globe theatre. It is based on a story in painters palace of pleasure, translated from the italian novelist, bandello. First edition of john websters the duchess of malfi, 1623. The duchess of malfi gender objectives before, while, and after reading the duchess of malfi, these activities can help learners to.
The duchess of malfi is a jacobean revenge tragedy written by british dramatist john webster in 161216. The duchess of malfi summary so it all starts out with our girl, the duchess, whos inherited her political position from her dead husband, the former duke of malfi. I went to see the opening production, dominic dromgooles production of john websters the duchess of malfi on thursday 30 january. The duchess of malfi was published in 1623, but the date of writing may have been as early as 1611. Gemma arterton as the duchess in the globes the duchess of. This is not a great edition if you are not already familiar with renaissance drama conventions or even this play in particular. She is a woman of strong character and deep feeling. With gemma arterton, archie bradfield, giles cooper, david dawson. Michael billington is one of britains foremost arts critics. I sing at parties, i wear colourful dresses, i am headstrong, i wont wear my hair up because you say i should, or do this because you prefer it, in fact i might do the other just. In particular, the third scene is very significant because the premises for the plots development are set.
Thus, in the duchess of malfi, webster created a female protagonist with. The duchess is a young widow who is in love with antonio, the manager of her house hold and is steadfast on marrying him. May 23, 2014 the issue of identity, of perception, is a major theme in the duchess of malfi with relation to the duchess herself. Throughout the plot the duchess is trying to assert the identity she has created for herself that of a loving wife and mother against the identities forced on her by. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. Review of the duchess of malfi at the sam wanamaker playhouse. Was it a bit weird to have an american telling us about one of the brightest. The production was filmed and broadcast on bbc4 on 25 may 2014. The duchess of malfi the duchess of malfi mahlfee, the sister of duke ferdinand and the cardinal. The duchess of malfi, john webster, directed by dominic dromgoole, playing at the sam wanamaker playhouse, from 9 january16 february 2014. Shes a widow wyoung child she holds the dukedom her husband had major concerns surround her sexuality is there a gender stereotype here.
Its right there to see in his most famous work, the duchess of malfi. Their spy in her household is bosola, her master of horse. The duchess of malfi globe player shakespeares globe. Mar 24, 2017 quotes and analysis for act 4 of websters the duchess of malfi.
Mar 31, 2017 the duchess of malfi is an unusual central figure for a 17thcentury tragedy not only because she is a woman, but also because, as a woman, she combines virtue with powerful sexual desire. The setting is the italian city of amalfi in the sixteenth century, in the audience chamber or presence of the widowed duchess. The duchess of malfi is an unusual central figure for a 17thcentury tragedy not only because she is a woman, but also because, as a woman, she combines virtue with powerful sexual desire. The duchess of malfi act 1 summary and analysis gradesaver. Dympna callaghan places websters character in the context of contemporary drama, politics, and discourses about widows and female sexuality. It tracks through the scene in chronological order and is designed to help students hit a01 and a02 for wjec examinations and language analysis objectives for other exam boards at alevel. The duchess falls in love with her steward, antonio. Establish definitions of gender and sex gain a historical perspective of gender issues explore and compare the. In act 1, scene 1, friends delio and antonio speak to each other after antonio returns from france. Dominic dromgooles curtain raising production of the duchess of malfi for the premiere season in the. It was first performed privately at the blackfriars theatre, then later to a larger audience at the globe, in 161614. Lit entirely by candlelight, the production evokes a murky. Need help with act 4, scene 1 in john websters the duchess of malfi. This study guide consists of approximately 34 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the duchess of malfi.
The duchess of malfi violence is prevalent with lighting and sound in the tech. Dominic dromgooles production gets the globes first season off to a cracking start. One of the great plays of the english theatre, the duchess of malfi tells the tale of the young widowed duchess who marries again for love. Librivox recording of the duchess of malfi, by john webster.
The duchess of malfi act 4 analysis teaching resources. The lord of the first house being combust in the ascendant, signifies short. The cardinal and ferdinand gang up on their sister, the duchess, exhorting her never to marry. A synopsis of john websters gory tale of revenge and dark humour. I assigned it in a renaissance drama seminar, and was disappointed by the cursory critical introduction and especially the lack of depth in the footnotes.
Gemma arterton brings beauty, determination and moral goodness to one of the great female roles, writes michael billington. Need help with act 1, scene 1 in john websters the duchess of malfi. See photos of maria abergs bloody and stylish production of the duchess of malfi. Despite being a widow, shes still a total babe, and her steward, antonio, has noticed, although hed never in a million years make a move on an aristocrat especially not one whos his boss. The duchess of malfi and renaissance women the british library. Based on our sketchy knowledge of the indoor playhouse at blackfriars and the so called inigo jones drawings. This guide will focus on the duchess of malfi, listed for study. Magical the sam wanamaker playhouse at the globe is something of an experiment.
Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free. Luminariums john webster page this is a site with links to all of websters work even the bad stuff, a nice big page for criticism, and a biography detailing what very little we know about webster. Ferdinand is an immensely disturbed man who has been driven to insanity by his inability to control his sister, and his resultant inability to control his own life. The duchess of malfi is generally considered to be john websters greatest work.
John websters bloody jacobean tragedy exposes the decadence of the italian court. The wooing scene of john websters play the duchess of malfi act 1, scene 3 is written in blank verse, as can be seen by consulting, for instance, the edition of the play in the norton. The duchess of malfi and renaissance women the british. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The duchess of malfi is a young widow whose two brothers, a cardinal and ferdinand, the duke of calabria, are desperately anxious lest she marry again, for they want to inherit her title and her estates. The duchess of malfi notes, summary and analysis youtube. In a larger sense, the play doesnt take place in one geographic location. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. John webster was a playwright and younger contemporary of william shakespeare in the 16th century.
Joan iyiola, who played the duchess, talks about her characters relationships with cariola, bosola and ferdinand in the play. The duchess of malfi john webster old vic, london 5th may 2012 directed by jamie lloyd designed by soutra gilmour cast madeline appiah cariola harry atwell pescara tom bateman antonio eve best the duchess of malfi nari blairmangat roderigo mark bonnar bosola adam burton silvio lucy eaton. From the blackfriars theatre in london, andrew marr presents a unique television premiere a new production of john websters bloody revenge tragedy the duchess of malfi performed in a perfect recreation of an early jacobean theatre. The duchess of malfi, john webster, directed by dominic. He probably wrote it in either 16 or 1614, and it was first staged before the end of 1614. The duchess of malfi violence is prevalent with lighting and sound in the tech lineup for the duchess of malfi.
The duchess of malfi originally published as the tragedy of the dutchesse of malfy is a jacobean revenge tragedy written by english dramatist john webster in 161216. The duchess of malfi act 3 analysis teaching resources. In spite of the threatening of her brothers she marries antonio with the aid of cariola. Even in the heyday of new criticism, the duchess of malfi occasioned historical analysis. These latter are now known not to be by jones, do not seem to have been for a real playhouse and are of rather a later date. The transformation inherent to staging a fourcentury old plot in a. The setting is the italian city of amalfi in the sixteenth century, in the audience chamber or. The duchess of malfi is a jacobean revenge tragedy written by english dramatist john webster. In the three scenes of act 1, the major characters and conflicts are introduced.
May 17, 2019 websters the duchess of malfi is the most thrilling and chilling of the jacobean revenge tragedies an exploration of male rage and female resistance as two brothers try and control their sister, block her marriage and repress her agency with fatal results. Throughout the plot the duchess is trying to assert the identity she has created for herself that of a loving wife and mother against the identities forced on her by her brothers, and by society at large. Much of john websters the duchess of malfi centers around the subversions and perversions of ferdinand, the duchess brother. Establish definitions of gender and sex gain a historical perspective of gender issues explore and compare the notion of gender through the duchess of malfi and. The duchess of malfi study guide contains a biography of john webster, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The issue of identity, of perception, is a major theme in the duchess of malfi with relation to the duchess herself.