A revenge tragedy should also include acts of treachery or murder. This is seen in excess the “Duchess of Malfi.”
“Jacobean Revenge Tragedies” were usually set in southern European countries such as Italy or Spain. The Duchess of Malfi” is set in Malfi in Italy. Italy was a neutral venue and provoked much intrigue although the issues which Webster deals with are glaringly present in the English court, the distancing of them and their placing into a foreign setting was though to offer the playwright some protection from a charge of anti-patriotism or treason.
The narrative should include ghosts, skulls and madness. Jacobean playwrights were not squeamish in portraying gory detail: fingers or hands are chopped off; poisoned skulls, books or portraits to kill those who kiss them; victims are mentally tortured with shows of madmen or waxworks of their dead children. In the Duchess of Malfi the Duchess is forced to view a tableau, which is a representation of a scene by a person or a group, posed silent and motionless. Ferdinand tries to mentally torture the Duchess. She is forced to view a tableau that displays the seemingly dead bodies of Antonio and her eldest son. The bodies are wax images.
The poisoning convention if fulfilled when the Cardinal poisons the bible so when Julia kisses it she dies. The fact that the Cardinal poisons the bible it could symbolise that he has lost his religious beliefs and has become secular again.
At the time this play was written it was not uncommon to use mad people as entertainment. This is a Jacobean tragedy convention.
England was a superstitious society. Many people believed in omens and portents. Witches and witchcraft were the object of morbid and fevered fascination throughout the rein of Queen Elizabeth. Most people believed that witches existed, and persecution of those accused of witchcraft.
The dominant mood of the period was melancholic and sombre. Out of the melancholic mood came the malcontent. This character is a typical character, which is included in the typical Jacobean revenge tragedy. Bosola fulfils this stereotype.
Religion was a theme, which was contained within Jacobean Tragedies. It created much controversy, as it was usually to do with Religious Moral hypocrisy.
The majority of the characters are all secular except the Cardinal, and he seems to have developed some experience and skill in war before being a Prince of the Church. Halfway through the action of the play, the Holy Roman Emperor recruits the Cardinal back into his army as a soldier. In a ceremony in Loretto, the Cardinal resigns from his role as Cardinal and, although he continues to be referred to as the cardinal, he effectively becomes secular again.
In “The Duchess of Malfi” Webster draws the idea of religion and politics closely together. Religion is concerned with human being’s spiritual relationship with the supernatural. Politics, on the other hand in to do with human beings interaction with each other, their government and authority structures.
The portrayal of women in Jacobean Tragedies brought much controversy. They were portrayed as being assertive and strong willed. This description shows the characteristics of the Duchess.
To marry ‘out of class’, particularly for a woman was badly looked upon be society for the Elizabethans and the Jacobeans. It is considered more acceptable for a man to marry below his own status, because his wife will be drawn up to his status. However, a married woman has very few rights, of property or otherwise.
For a woman to marry below herself it mean that her husband would be ennobled to her own status, causing envy and confusion amongst her peers and dissent amongst those lower on the social scale.
The heroic figure in this play is undoubtedly the Duchess. She stoically accepts her fate and constantly takes the lead in her relationship with Antonio. Her strong character is typical of Jacobean tragedies.
The tragedies of Shakespeare, Webster, Middleton and others reflected characters, emotions, actions and issues that were familiar to the London audiences. In “The Duchess of Malfi”, Bosola, when he is about to have the Duchess murdered, speaks words which refer to the custom of a bell being toiled at Newgate prison just before the execution of a condemned criminal.
“I am common Bellman
That usually is sent to condemn’d persons,
The night before they suffer”
Contemporary audiences witnessed scenes of violence, revenge and forgiveness. They heard all kinds of direct and indirect comments on affairs of state, law and belief. Whether the drama supported or subverted religious beliefs, traditional values or social organisation, it held attractions that pulled in audiences.
In conclusion “The Duchess of Malfi” is very effective as a Revenge Tragedy as it features all the conventions put down by Seneca.
