Malfi by John Webster, This Was The Standard. Her Behavior in Response To The Emotional

Usman Ali Ishaq
Topic 6
No matter how far back I look, men have always found ways to belittle and demean
women. They seem to generally feel a need to control everything they can in regard to women.
The inequity of female-bodied individuals comparatively to their male-bodied counterparts is
absolutely terrible and evident. Unfortunately, in the time of the Duchess, in The Duchess of
Malfi by John Webster, this was the standard. Her behavior in response to the emotional,
physical, and spiritual abuse she faces, though justified in the eyes of the considerate, was
transgressive for her time. I believe that the Duchess is the dramatization of taking power over
and protecting what men could not reach: her will.
We first get insight on the Duchess’s relationship with her brother in the second scene
in Act 1. Ferdinand and Cardinal joke on the Duchess’s widowed state and reassert the
unacceptability of her remarrying. Upon their exit, the Duchess confides in Cariola and gives us
insight on her feelings towards the situation. She laments, “Let old wives report/I wink’d, and
chose a husband.” Act 1 Scene 2. Though she assured the others that she understood what she
was limited to, we see here that she simply used the reassurance as a tool to pass the simple
ignorance of her brothers. She moves on to further her motives my calling upon Antonio, her
steward, to help her write her will. She tells him, “I am making my will” Act 1 Scene 2. This line
taps metaphorically and literally lets us know exactly what the Duchess is all about. She knows
what she wants and regardless of the circumstances surrounding her, she will attain it. She goes
on to propose to Antonio and achieves exactly what she wanted while maintaining secrecy from
her brothers. The brothers end up leaving to Rome for a couple years, so all is well for the
Duchess.
Unfortunately, the secret doesn’t maintain itself as long as she wished it would. Bosola,
a sort of bounty hunter that’s working for Ferdinand as a spy, figures out that the Duchess is
pregnant and lets Ferdinand know. By the time Ferdinand returns from his leave, he’s already
plotted and furiously fantasized on his revenge. Whilst Antonio, Cariola, and the Duchess are
basking in their joy, Antonio thinks it would be a hilarious idea to leave her alone without her
knowing. Next thing you know, Antonio enters with a dagger in hand and surprises the Duchess
mid-sentence. Upon seeing him, she declares, “For know, whether I am doom’d to live or die,/I
can do both like a prince.” Act 3 Scene 2. This line is a wonderful portrayal of the Duchess’s
concept of self. She recognizes the consequence of her innocent actions and chooses to reclaim
the connotation by coining elegance along with it. Though the consequence itself may not
parallel this outcome, her will and self-preservation is the only thing that matters to her.
Beyond that, she defies the gendering she’s inherited. She sees the fate and attitude towards
women falling victim to such destinies and flips the script. Regardless of the reality, she is
defining how she’ll allow it to affect her.
Now the Cardinal has formally banished the Duchess, Antonio, and their kids. The
duchess attempts to plan an escape but ultimately it falls through and the Duchess and kids are
apprehended by Bosola. The brothers begin to play tricks on the Duchess to prolong her
torture. One of which includes presenting feigned representations of Antonio and her kids’
dead body parts. Her response to this is to maintain her power in it all. Rather than giving them
the satisfaction of getting to her she protests, “The church enjoins fasting:/I’ll starve myself to
death.” Act 4 Scene 1. Even though the odds are stacked against her and the things she
treasured in this life are seemingly gone, her willpower is an anchor that is keeping her well
within her sense of morality. However, she is now at a place where her willingness to see this
life out has diminished. She’s maintained her will to possess the power, authority, elegance,
and prestige that she owns, but seems to have lost whatever will she may have had in seeing
this life through past the adversities. In the same scene she claims, “I account this world a
tedious theatre,/For I do play a part in’t ‘gainst my will.” Act 4 Scene 1. She is giving light to the
frivolousness that she associates with her life at this point. This line also highlights the power
she grants the concept of speaking one’s truth into existence. Life being a theater, as tedious as
it is, is malleable and dependent on the player’s perception of the circumstances. While her
perception of self is maintained she seems to have a very open relationship to the concept of
death and sees herself as greater than her circumstance or in this case, her life.
As we approach the final moments of the Duchess’s tragic death, she reveals her state
of mind in one of the clearest fashions she could. In response to Bosola she asks, “Am not I thy
Duchess?” followed by affirming, “I am Duchess of Malfi still.” Act 4 Scene 2. This line speaks for
itself. Regardless of the odds and the reality of what is going on, she will always be Duchess of
Malfi. They can take away her kids, her family, and even her life. They will never be able to
touch is her will. What she claims of herself is the only truth that matters to her.
It’s important to consider what the Duchess means as a figure in this time. She
manifested herself in a way most never imagined possible and crafted a resilience that
resonates through generations. She is the dramatization of the will power that all, specifically
female-bodied individuals, possess and can empower themselves through. She is, and always
will be, the Duchess of Malfi.
Boklund, G., & Webster, J. (1962). The Duchess of Malfi. Cambridge, MA

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Usman Ali Ishaq

The inequity of female-bodied individuals comparatively to their male-bodied counterparts is

and protecting what men could not reach: her will.

defining how she’ll allow it to affect her.

will be, the Duchess of Malfi.

Boklund, G., & Webster, J. (1962). The Duchess of Malfi. Cambridge, MA

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